Hamas 'will agree Israel deal', says ex-President Carter

4/21/2008 - 12:55:52 PM

The militant Islamic Hamas group will accept Israel's right to exist, providing the Palestinian people agree, former US president Jimmy Carter said today.

Mr Carter said that Hamas, which has organised suicide bombings and rocket attacks on Israel, is prepared to accept the Jewish state's right to "live as a neighbour next door in peace".

Hamas is also ready prepared to accept the outcome of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, provided it is approved in a Palestinian referendum, or by a Palestinian government chosen in new elections, Mr Carter said.

Previously Hamas officials have said they would establish a "peace in stages" if Israel were to withdraw to the frontiers it held before the 1967 Middle East war.

It has been evasive about how it sees the final borders of a Palestinian state however, and has not abandoned its official call for Israel's destruction.

Mr Carter relayed his message in a speech in Jerusalem after meeting with Hamas leaders in Syria last week. The speech capped a nine-day visit to the region designed to break the deadlock between Israel and Hamas militants who rule Gaza.

Israel considers Hamas to be a terrorist group and has ignored Mr Carter during his visit because of his meetings with Hamas' supreme chief, Khaled Mashaal, and other leaders.

In his speech in Jerusalem, Mr Carter urged Israel to negotiate directly with Hamas, saying failure to do so was hampering peace efforts.