Hamas Senior Official Surprises: "We must recognize the state of Israel"

The terrorist organization is under pressure: the deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas, Musa Abu Marzouk, said today (Thursday) that his organization should recognize the existence of Israel, to bring an end to the conflict with the Palestinian Authority.

In an interview with the "Al-Monitor" website, Abu Marzouk claimed that "the official Palestinian position should be followed - the PLO recognized the State of Israel. Hamas wants to be part of the PLO, and we must respect its commitments in this regard." He also said that "Israelis deserve rights, but not at the expense of others."

This is not the first time that Abu Marzouk has said that Hamas should recognize the existence of Israel. In 2006, he claimed "There is no doubt that we have a realistic recognition of Israel and the fact that Israel exists on the ground - and we do not sign agreements with an imaginary entity, but with one that exists. Israel exists and everyone refers to these agreements. The problem is not with that, and that is not what is being demanded of Hamas. Our problem is the demand to recognize the legitimacy of the occupation - and we will not agree to that."