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Last update - 22:22 08/11/2009
Hamas rejects Mofaz call to talk as 'Zionist vulgarity'
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Middle East peace 

The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip said Sunday that they would never negotiate with the "Zionist enemy", hours after Kadima MK Shaul Mofaz presented a plan to hold talks with the group and establish a Palestinian state in 60 percent of the West Bank within one year.

In its official response, Hamas called Mofaz's offer "Zionist vulgarity" and said it would never recognize Israel or give legitimacy to the occupation.

"Any negotiation with the Zionist enemy regarding rights and legitimate recognition would only give it further excuse to commit crimes," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
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The former IDF chief of staff earlier Sunday urged dialogue with the Islamist Palestinian group, saying that "at the moment that Hamas sit down at the negotiating table, assuming that Hamas are elected and want to talk, they accept the Quartet's guidelines and are no longer a terrorist organization."

Speaking at a press conference at which he presented his diplomatic plan, Mofaz explained that "the state of Israel must sit down with any group that changes its priorities."


"I believe that responsible leaders sit down with such groups," he continued. "I know that Hamas continues to fire and amass long-range missiles and prepare for conflict with Israel, and I want to tell Hamas leaders that if they continue on this path, their fate will be decided."

Mofaz developed his proposal following consultations with figures in the defense establishment, the heads of think tanks and politicians. He contends that the stalemate in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians is dangerous from a demographic standpoint and with respect to Israel's legitimacy in the world.

Mofaz's declaration upset some of his fellow Kadima members, who said he should have consulted with the party before presenting a plan of his own. "If he has a diplomatic plan, he should have presented it to the party," said one party member.

According to the Mofaz plan, in the initial stage of the establishment of a Palestinian state with provisional borders there would be no need to uproot Jewish settlers in the West Bank, but legislation would be enacted to show Israel's serious intent, providing for the subsequent relocation in the Galilee and in West Bank settlement blocs of about 70,000 residents of isolated settlements.

Mofaz has not excluded the possibility that outlying Jerusalem neighborhoods would eventually become part of the independent Palestinian state.

Mofaz accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of stalling the Middle East peace process and of wasting time that the country doesn't "have the privilege to waste."

Mofaz's proposal is a challenge not only to Netanyahu but also to his own party's leader, Tzipi Livni.

The Mofaz plan provides a centrist, pragmatic approach. He intends to initiate a debate on his plan at a meeting of the Kadima party council.

From a political standpoint, Mofaz has signaled that he has no interest in returning to Likud and that he seeks to make a bid for the leadership of Kadima.

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      1.   its funny 12:37  |  JJ 08/11/09
      2.   The Hamas & Hezbollah Death Charter Against Israel Should ... 12:49  |  Lavi 08/11/09
      3.   Get rich quick 12:51  |  Gilad 08/11/09
      4.   # 2 Lavi 13:16  |  ben 08/11/09
      5.   A hopeless plan. 13:25  |  Roo 08/11/09
      6.   Realism! 13:33  |  Georg B 08/11/09
      7.   Bantustan. Pals should claim 1947 borders then accept Green Line. 14:27  |  Michael 08/11/09
      8.   Mofaz Plan Is A Dead End 14:30  |  MB 08/11/09
      9.   Israel vs the Scoundrels 14:46  |  Brod 08/11/09
      10.   To Georg B 15:06  |  r cummings 08/11/09
      11.   Where have you been Shaul 15:07  |  meir gush etzion 08/11/09
      12.   Oh goodie, another plan... 15:07  |  yawn 08/11/09
      13.   Another?... 15:14  |  joaquim levi 08/11/09
      14.   #1--you are funny 15:15  |  IW 08/11/09
      15.   ... but did he consult with Tzipor...? 15:16  |  Esther 08/11/09
      16.   @ 7 You are quite right, Michael 15:21  |  Ben Alofs 08/11/09
      17.   Mofaz can we investigate the Goldstone Report first 15:38  |  Chris Linthwaite 08/11/09
      18.   chutzpah 15:53  |  mariapalestina 08/11/09
      19.   Ben Alofs 15:58  |  Terry 08/11/09
      20.   NEGOTIATING OUR OWN DEMISE 16:03  |  Steve of Mevaserret 08/11/09
      21.   That approach is neighter centrist nor pragmatic, but inaceptable 16:07  |  Kris Lazar 08/11/09
      22.   Mofaz wants to unload the Pals while Pals want to unload the Jews 16:13  |  Sam 08/11/09
      23.   Does Mofaz Plan Include Ceding Israel Area = 40% of WB Retained 16:28  |  Monitor 08/11/09
      24.   The same was said about PLO 16:30  |  Boruch 08/11/09
      25.   what mofaz was thinking 16:32  |  JT 08/11/09
      26.   #7, Michael, I don`t think you`re giving him enough credit 16:40  |  newageblues 08/11/09
      27.   Mofaz is in the Opposition 16:41  |  Proud Israeli 08/11/09
      28.   The Jewish translation of "provisional" 16:44  |  Axel 08/11/09
      29.   Doom mongering there, Steve of Mevaserret 16:51  |  r cummings 08/11/09
      30.   POLITICIANS? GIVE ME A BREAK. 16:56  |  SHMUEL IN GALUT 08/11/09
      31.   26 Newageblues. Only way to is to hand whole WB over to UN. 17:03  |  Michael 08/11/09
      32.   #28 Axel 17:12  |  chris 08/11/09
      33.   One-party state, anyone? 17:12  |  r cummings 08/11/09
      34.   Political maneuvering 17:14  |  Yoni 08/11/09
      35.   Steve of Mevaserret - Why spout BS? 17:21  |  CJ 08/11/09
      36.   # 32 chris 17:23  |  Axel 08/11/09
      37.   important 17:24  |  Belal 08/11/09
      38.   joaquim levi - We have our state/homeland, what`s your problem? 17:31  |  CJ 08/11/09
      39.   #36 Axel 17:32  |  chris 08/11/09
      40.   Brod - I see bigotry is alive and well and living in the USA 17:34  |  CJ 08/11/09
      41.   get the message 17:36  |  JimUSA 08/11/09
      42.   Netanyahu destroyed any chance with Abbas 17:50  |  Mark Lincoln 08/11/09
      43.   To RCummings, Steve of Mevaserret 18:07  |  David LG 08/11/09
      44.   YNET said something different? 18:08  |  Basil 08/11/09
      45.   Michael from Londonistan ,Falklands should be called Argentinian 18:08  |  Absolute Sweden 08/11/09
      46.   Talks With Hamas 18:09  |  Barry Zornberg 08/11/09
      47.   Nothing new 18:10  |  syrian opinion 08/11/09
      48.   "Chris" Yoyne Machover(Lintwit) ,your Communist Dad`s 18:11  |  Absolute Sweden 08/11/09
      49.   Cj from Sydney who plonked himself on aboriginals 18:13  |  Absolute Sweden 08/11/09
      50.   *17 Chris 18:15  |  mike 08/11/09
      51.   #40 CJ I see you didn`t get where you are today... 18:15  |  H 08/11/09
      52.   Where are you coming from CJ? 18:16  |  Proud Israeli 08/11/09
      53.   #5 Roo , Temple Mount is an issue , but 18:17  |  TOMY 08/11/09
      54.   38 CJ 18:22  |  ZISD 08/11/09
      55.   #6 GeorgB , that high hopes ? 18:23  |  TOMY 08/11/09
      56.   this plan is an insult and reminds me of a similar plan 18:26  |  stavros 08/11/09
      57.   # 47 proud israeli 18:35  |  Axel 08/11/09
      58.   Peace negotiations mean compromise 18:35  |  Yonatan 08/11/09
      59.   #8 MB , The culture of dependency 18:38  |  TOMY 08/11/09
      60.   Poor Leftie Esther from TA,her bedfellow Gefreiter Axel 18:39  |  Absolute Sweden 08/11/09
      61.   Dramatic 18:45  |  syrian opinion 08/11/09
      62.   General S. Mofaz. 19:01  |  Stephen. 08/11/09
      63.   Mark Lincoln (# 42). So much for censorship, eh? 19:10  |  flyingdoc57 08/11/09
      64.   # 58 yonatan 19:20  |  Axel 08/11/09
      65.   #.2.Lavi. 19:20  |  Stephen. 08/11/09
      66.   Axel-It`s 1967 borders PLUS flood of refugees=All Israel 19:47  |  Sam 08/11/09
      67.   #64 Axel 19:52  |  Bruce 08/11/09
      68.   # Ben: Techee`e Aravee? How`s Your Arabic? 20:01  |  Lavi 08/11/09
      69.   # 61 syrian opinion 20:07  |  Joseph .E 08/11/09
      70.   45 Absolute Sweden from absolute darkness. 20:11  |  Michael 08/11/09
      71.   Ben alofs 20:13  |  Rich 08/11/09
      72.   Now Keep Talking About Talking... 20:49  |  Yosemite 08/11/09
      73.   #64 Axel 20:53  |  Yonatan 08/11/09
      74.   Axel #57 21:12  |  Proud Israeli 08/11/09
      75.   H in london---sholud you really be asking that question??? 21:30  |  labhras 08/11/09
      76.   Hilarious how Jews pretend to want "peace" 21:33  |  Ridiculous 08/11/09
      77.   Yonatan #74 1939v1967 21:50  |  Roo 08/11/09
      78.   TOMY #53 21:50  |  Roo 08/11/09
      79.   ridiculous 77 22:10  |  alan 08/11/09
      80.   Abs 72. The settler so extreme he`s settled Sweden. 22:23  |  Michael 08/11/09
      81.   Palestinian are not barbarians 22:33  |  responding to Brod 08/11/09
      82.   The palestinian legitimate right. No relevant 22:45  |  arik 08/11/09
      83.   TOMY #53 22:47  |  Roo 08/11/09
      84.   # 74 yonatan 23:03  |  Axel 08/11/09
      85.   # 53 tomy 23:16  |  Axel 08/11/09
      86.   #76 labarse "Treason" If Haaretz will allow me 23:23  |  H 08/11/09
      87.   # 75 proud israeli 23:34  |  Axel 08/11/09
      88.   60% is too much anyway 00:23  |  Jochai Rubinstein 09/11/09
      89.   Absolute Sweden it was the British who colonized Australia 00:24  |  CJ 09/11/09
      90.   TOMY - it was built on the site of a destroyed church actually 00:53  |  CJ 09/11/09
      91.   ZISD - Habara speil 01:02  |  CJ 09/11/09
      92.   the plan is not the issue - the issue is what Fawzi Barhoum says 01:07  |  ivo 09/11/09
      93.   Don`t worry, this won`t stop Mofaz from talking to himself 01:08  |  IW 09/11/09
      94.   Left Wing Leaders never change 01:27  |  Baruch Gold 09/11/09
      95.   No hamas no Bibi 01:28  |  alan the real one 09/11/09
      96.   #80 Roo , the four hundred is an unprooven 01:39  |  TOMY 09/11/09
      97.   #79 , PAlestinian , 01:42  |  TOMY 09/11/09
      98.   There it is again folks, Hamas will NEVER recognise Israel 02:02  |  Peter Williams 09/11/09
      99.   Does Hamas want a Palestinian state 02:37  |  allang 09/11/09
      100.   #77,Ridiculous? 03:31  |  Bruce 09/11/09
      101.   I`m tired... 03:55  |  Kelly 09/11/09
      102.   Does Hamas want a Palestinian state 05:06  |  allang 09/11/09
      103.   Poor zionists getting the mushroom treatment 05:30  |  an enraged bystander 09/11/09
      104.   Hamas`s Reaction & Why Israel Has To Hang Tought 06:47  |  Brad 09/11/09
      105.   # 2 Lavi The Hamas & Hezbollah Death Charter Against Israel 06:51  |  maoriboy 09/11/09
      106.   David LG, 43 12:55  |  r cummings 09/11/09
      107.   jimUSA, I want 40% of your house and your water... 22:51  |  BBSNews 09/11/09
      108.   To Kelly from L.A. 23:52  |  utagawa 09/11/09
      109.   A fair warning 23:59  |  utagawa 09/11/09
      110.   i will Hamas will not be stupid like abbas`s group 07:59  |  manal 10/11/09
      111.   To CJ #40 `Brod - I see bigotry is alive and well and living in t 09:10  |  Colin Wright 22/11/09
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