There are indications from some Hamas officials that if the Palestinians are granted an independent state in the lands that Israel took during the 1967 war, the militant group may abandon its military resistance against Israel.
The rhetoric points to a softening of Hamas’ stance as Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip, which Hamas controlled prior to the war. The violent Palestinian gang has long demanded the destruction of the Jewish state.
Basem Naim, a political bureau member of Hamas headquartered in Istanbul, stated to Our reporter on Thursday that the organization would consent to disarmament in exchange for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Al Qassam might be incorporated into a sovereign state with its capital in Jerusalem that protects refugees’ right of return.
Following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 more were kidnapped, the Netanyahu administration has sworn to destroy the organization.
The ongoing indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to free the remaining 133 hostages have come to a standstill.
In a rare joint statement on Thursday, US President Joe Biden and leaders of 17 other nations urged Hamas to release the hostages and agree to terms of a deal that they claimed would “bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza that would facilitate a surge of additional necessary humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza and lead to a credible end of hostilities.”
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya told The Associated Press in Istanbul on Wednesday that the organization would accept
During the 1967 war, Israel took control of Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. The majority of the international world and international law see those lands as occupied, and the Palestinians hope to create a future state there. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has long resisted the idea, claiming that it would jeopardize the security of his nation.
