Haaretz
Cheshvan 27, 5767
The Hamas-led Palestinian government
said on Saturday that the United States, rather than Hamas, must change
its policies if it hopes for peace.
"American policy is the biggest
obstacle to bringing peace and security to the region," Hamas's Ghazi
Hamad, the Palestinian cabinet spokesman, said when asked about U.S.
efforts.
"The Americans should not demand from the Palestinian side
to commit or to abide by the Quartet conditions. The Americans should
change their own policy and ask Israel to change its policies toward the
Palestinian people," he added.
Washington is preparing for a
possible peace push that could include an international peace conference
in Jordan at the end of the month.
But a U.S. official and
diplomats said any such meeting hinged on a planned Palestinian unity
government meeting the conditions of the Quartet of Middle East mediators:
to recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by past
agreements.
Hamas is sworn to Israel's destruction and has said
that any unity government it joins will not recognize Israel's right to
exist.
Still, Deputy Palestinian Prime Minister Naser al-Shaer said
rival Palestinian factions had reached a "consensus" that the unity
government's program would be separate from that of Hamas.
The
comments raised the possibility that the unity government could try to
meet at least some of the Quartet's conditions while Hamas remains
committed to Israel's destruction.
But Ismail Rudwan, a spokesman
for Hamas, said the militant group would never recognize Israel's right to
exist.
Rudwan also said he expected the platform of any unity
government "not to recognize the legitimacy of the Zionist
occupation."
Ministers from the U.S., Russia, Egypt, the Gulf
states and others will be at the Dead Sea in Jordan on November 30 for an
annual Middle East democracy and development meeting and the U.S. hopes an
international peace conference could be held just before that
event.
On Thursday, Spain, Italy and France agreed to work on a
joint plan to resolve the Middle East conflict, calling for a total
cease-fire and suggesting they could send truce monitors to the
area.