PA president demands map for future state as Hamas official tells 'Al Monitor' they are prepared to accept state within '67 borders.
By JPOST.COM STAFFNetanyahu pointing at a map 370(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a map for a future Palestinian state before the resumption of any peace talks, Palestinian news agency Ma'an quoted an aide as saying on Friday.Abbas "wants to know, through a map to be presented by Binyamin Netanyahu to [US Secretary of State John] Kerry, what the prime minister's view of a two-state solution would be, especially the borders," Ma'an quoted political adviser Nimr Hammad as saying."Any return to negotiations requires Netanyahu to agree on 1967 borders," Hammad was quoted as saying.The remarks come just days ahead of a scheduled visit by Kerry, who will return to Israel on Monday as part of his efforts to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.Meanwhile, "Hamas has stated that it is prepared to accept a state within the 1967 borders," deputy foreign minister in the Hamas government Ghazi Hamad told Al-Monitor on Thursday."We do not say 'two states,'" Hamad clarified, adding: "We agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, within the 1967 borders, and that this would include a solution to the refugee problem. What I can tell you is that all factions in the movement agree to this and are prepared to accept it."He emphasized that not all Hamas members agreed with the principles, saying that "some people in Hamas contend that Israel is not prepared to accept this principle [of the 1967 borders], as evidenced by its continued construction program in the settlements."However, he stated, Hamas does not recognize Israel.
