Hamas senior official Mousa Abu Marzouk issued a statement clarifying his earlier declaration which said that in the case of achieving unity with the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hamas would accept the PLO recognition of Israel.
Abu Marzouk released a clarification in which he said: “I confirm that the Hamas movement does not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation, and does not accept giving up any of the rights of our Palestinian people,” said Marzouk in a statement distributed by Hamas. “We affirm that the resistance will continue until liberation.”
In an interview with Al-Monitor earlier in the week, Abu Marzouk said Hamas should “follow the official stance that the PLO has recognized the state of Israel.”
Some media claim he was “backtracking” but he really isn’t. He is clearly stating Hamas does not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation. Some media such as the Arab daily, Asharq Al Awsat, saw the Abu Marzouk interview and a similar statement by Hamas Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, as trial balloons for the possibility of opening negotiations to end the conflict and uniting with the PLO.
