Hamas says it would never accept two-state solution, won't give up ‘one inch’ of land

Group says will not agree to recognize Israel, stresses only armed resistance will liberate Palestinian land.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Hamas security forces in Gaza (photo credit: REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)
Hamas security forces in Gaza
(photo credit: REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)
Hamas announced on Tuesday that it would never accept the two-state solution or give up “one inch of the land of Palestine.”
Its announcement came in response to statements attributed to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the effect that the Islamist movement had “authorized” him to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines.
Hamas said it never gave Abbas or anyone else a mandate to agree to the two-state solution.
The Islamist group said that in 2006, all Palestinian factions agreed to the establishment of Palestinian state on the pre- 1967 lines and the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes inside Israel “without recognizing the Zionist entity or its legitimacy on the land of Palestine.”
It added that “resistance in all shapes, first and foremost armed struggle, will remain the only effective way to achieve the goals of the Palestinian people and liberate their land.”
It reiterated its call to Abbas to immediately halt the negotiations with Israel, as well as all security coordination with the IDF in the West Bank. It also urged him to release Hamas prisoners from PA jails in the West Bank.