December 13, 2012
Abbas: Hamas’ Mashaal already recognized Israel
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Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal at the Islamic University in Gaza City on Dec. 9. Photo by Suhaib Salem/Reuters
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas rapped Khaled Meshaal for saying Hamas would never recognize Israel, saying the Hamas political chief had already done so nearly a decade ago.
Abbas, who heads Fatah, at a news conference Thursday in Turkey pointed to a 1993 Hamas-Fatah agreement.
“I don’t agree with Khaled Meshaal’s statement on the non-recognition of Israel because we, in fact, recognized it in 1993,” Abbas said, according to Turkish news service Hurriyet. “A four-article agreement between Fatah and Hamas stipulates a two-state vision. And Mashal approved of this agreement."
Meshaal on Dec. 8 during his first-ever visit to Gaza said the Palestinians would never recognize Israel, that Israel has "no right to Jerusalem," and that “liberating Palestine, all of Palestine, is a duty, a right and a goal."
He was speaking in Gaza City during celebrations marking Hamas' 25th anniversary. Meshaal has been living in exile in Syria for a decade.
