Senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk, who had strongly condemned Morocco for its resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel, called for Hamas to recognize Israel as a State in order to end the divide between Palestinian factions, in an interview with “The Monitor” in Doha, Qatar, published on Wednesday.
Back in December, 2020, the same individual declared “We firmly reject the signing of the tripartite agreement between Morocco, the United States and the “Zionist entity”…which does not reflect the Moroccan people’s position of support for the Palestinian cause.”
Abu Marzouk elaborated, “You should follow the official stance…. The official stance is that the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) has recognized the state of Israel.”
The PLO is the internationally recognized umbrella group representing most Palestinian factions, with the exception of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
Israel has accepted the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people.
The official added, “We, Hamas, are seeking to be a part of the PLO, and we said we will respect the PLO’s obligations…. Israelis should have their rights but not at the expense of others.”
When asked what October 7 accomplished for the people of Gaza, Abu Marzouk replied, “Many goals, including re-establishing the Palestinian cause on the international agenda,” adding, “Everyone is talking about a Palestinian state.”
According to Abu Marzouk, Hamas is still seeking statehood based on pre-1967 borders. In 2017, the Gaza-based group released a policy declaration recognizing the construction of a Palestinian state based on the borders which existed before Israel captured east Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War. The document, however, neither officially recognized Israel nor supported a two-state solution.
Abu Marzouk’s statements come as the United States and Israel disagree on how to manage Gaza in the future, despite the fact that both agree Hamas must not return to power in the coastal enclave inhabited by 2.3 million individuals.
For its part, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA), which has limited autonomy in the West Bank, has stated that it will only help rule Gaza as part of a larger peace plan to establish an independent state.