Hamas says will never recognise Israel

Gaza, Jan 16: Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyehyesterday said the Islamist militant group Hamas would never recogniseIsrael.

Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, said in an interview from Gaza withLebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah's al-Manar television, ''Hamas willnever recognise the legitimacy of the occupation (Israel).'' ''Hamaswill never show flexibility over the issue of recognising thelegitimacy of the occupation,'' he added.

Hamas took control of the Palestinian government last March after winning parliamentary elections a year ago.

The United States and its allies imposed sanctions on theHamas-led government to pressure it to recognise Israel, renounceviolence and abide by interim deals. The group has refused to abide bythese demands.

Haniyeh said there had been ''an encouraging start'' to effortsaimed at forming a Palestinian national unity government with rivalmovement Fatah.

''I am full of hope that these efforts could succeed and I hopethat the national unity government could see the light in the nearesttime possible if the intentions were honest,'' he said.

At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip sincePresident Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah called for new elections last month,raising the stakes in his power struggle with Hamas.

Some Palestinians fear the fighting could lead to civil war.

Haniyeh renewed his rejection of Abbas's election call.

He said Hamas would never agree to conditions set by Westernpowers, which also included accepting previous interim peace accordssigned in the 1990s by the Palestine Liberation Organisation withIsrael.

Abbas has called for peace talks with Israel.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2001 and have remained deadlocked further since Hamas took power.

Last week, the movement's exiled leader Khaled Meshaal toldReuters in Damascus where he is based that Hamas does ''not talk aboutrecognising Israel or accepting it as a reality''.

Captired Soldier

Haniyeh said in the al-Manar interview there was''talk that progress has been achieved'' on bids to free an Israelisoldier held captive in Gaza by militants in exchange for Palestinianprisoners in Israeli jails. ''They used to refuse talking about numbersand now they (Israel) have agreed,'' he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he was willing to freePalestinian prisoners jailed in Israel for Corporal Gilad Shalit, whowas captured last June in a cross-border raid by gunmen from Hamas andother factions.

Haniyeh confirmed for the first time that factions had listedjailed Fatah leader Marwan al-Barghouthi among those they wanted freed.Barghouthi was jailed by an Israeli court for five life terms forordering attacks on Israelis -- as part of a Palestinian uprising whicherupted in 2000 -- charges he denied.

Israel has in the past refused to free prisoners with ''blood on their hands''.

Palestinian armed factions have demanded Israel release more than1,000 prisoners for Shalit. Israel holds some 11,000 Palestinianprisoners in its jails.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, mediating to arrange anIsraeli-Palestinian prisoner swap, said at a summit with Olmert thismonth in Egypt he hoped an agreement would be reached soon.

Reuters>