Hamas visit should not harm Israel ties: China

Beijing, May 23: China said today an invitation to visit to the Palestinian Authority, controlled by the Islamic militant group Hamas, should not harm Beijing's relations with Israel, despite Israel's anger over the gesture.

Hamas, which was elected to power in January, has declared the destruction of Israel as its goal and is considered a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Israel.

Its foreign minister, Mahmoud al-Zahar, is to attend a Sino-Arab forum in China at the end of the month, a visit that prompted Israel to summon the Chinese ambassador in protest.

''We value relations with Israel and would like to continue to move forward friendly relations,'' Foreign Ministry Liu Jianchao told a news conference.

''It is natural and normal for two countries to have differences on some issues but we don't think relations will be undermined by this issue,'' he said.

China has urged Hamas to recognise the Jewish state and return to talks, but Israel said its invitation was harming peace efforts.

''We emphasised to the Chinese side that the invitation is an obstacle to the peace process in the region,'' said Nadav Eshcar, a spokesman at the Israeli embassy in Beijing.

International visits reduced pressure on Hamas to cease terrorism and recognise the right of Israel to exist, Eshcar said, adding Israel was ''surprised and disappointed'' by China's invitation.

Hamas defeated the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in January polls and took office in March. It has ruled out peace talks with Israel.

The director-general of West Asian and North African Affairs at China's Foreign Ministry said last week that it respected the democratic election of Hamas even though it did not agree with its policies.

Reuters