Palestinian Foreign Minister and senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar on Wednesday denied referring to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, wording that might have hinted at Israel's right to exist.
A senior Palestinian diplomat at the United Nations said on Tuesday that Zahar had made the reference in a letter he sent to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan this week.
‘Such a sentence was not used in the letter,’ Zahar told Reuters. A copy of the letter seen by Reuters also showed no mention of a two-state solution.
Hamas, which swept parliamentary elections in January, is sworn to Israel's destruction and has vowed to keep fighting the Jewish state since taking over the Palestinian government last week. It says talks with Israel would be a waste of time.
Israel calls Hamas a ‘terrorist’ organization and has vowed not to negotiate with the group.
Despite not referring to a two-state solution, Zahar's letter to Annan was conciliatory for a Hamas leader who has a reputation as a hard-liner.
Zahar said his government wanted ‘to work with the United Nations and countries of the world ... to achieve regional peace and stability based on a comprehensive and just solution.’
‘We hope some countries will reconsider their positions and hasty decisions especially regarding stopping aid and the use of the language of threats instead of dialogue,’ the letter added.
Israel and the United States have sought to isolate the Hamas government.
The ‘Quartet’ of Middle East mediators -- the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia -- has also said aid will be cut if Hamas does not recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept interim peace agreements.
Speaking to reporters at UN headquarters on Tuesday, Riyad Mansour, Palestinian observer to the United Nations, had said the choice of wording in Zahar's letter was important.
Mansour said the letter also referred to the Palestinian hope of wanting to live in peace ‘side by side with our neighbors,’ which could have implied Israel. The letter seen by Reuters did not include this.
Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas lawmaker, said recognizing Israel was not up for debate, although he restated the group's offer of a long-term truce if Israel was to fully withdraw from land captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Israel has dismissed such an offer as a non-starter.
Zahar on Tuesday also announced plans to visit China and other Asian countries next month after meeting a senior Chinese diplomat in the Gaza Strip.
A Chinese diplomat in the West Bank told Reuters that no invitation had been extended to Hamas, although he did not rule out such a visit in the future.
China has long supported Palestinian calls for an independent homeland, but it also has strong ties with Israel.
Despite U.S. pressure to isolate Hamas, several countries including Russia have balked at cutting contacts with the group.
Hamas has carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings against Israelis since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000, but has largely abided by a year-old cease-fire.
(Additional reporting by Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah)