Prime Minister Narendra Modi today<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pm-modi-arrives-in-palestine-on-a-historic-visit-32399"> arrived in Palestine&#39;s Ramallah</a>,&nbsp;the headquarters of the Palestine National Authority, as a part of his three-nation tour.

The Indian PM and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas signed six memoranda of understanding (MOUs) worth USD 50 million that&nbsp;includes the setting up of a USD 30 million super speciality hospital in Beit Sahur.

Three agreements in the education sector worth USD 5 million, one MoU for procurement of equipment and machinery for the National Printing Press and one for construction of a centre for empowering women were also signed.

PM Modi said that Palestine had always taken a &quot;top spot in India&#39;s foreign policy.&quot;

&quot;India and Palestine&#39;s relations have stood the test of time. Palestine has always taken a top spot in our foreign policy,&quot; the Indian PM said&nbsp;at a joint press conference with President Mahmoud Abbas.

PM Modi said India hoped Palestine would become a free country peacefully and only dialogue could result in a solution to its conflict with Israel.

&quot;I have assured President Abbas that India is bound by a promise to take care of Palestinian people&#39;s interests. India hopes that soon Palestine will come a free country in a peaceful manner,&quot; PM Modi said.

&quot;We hope for peace and stability in Palestine, we believe a permanent solution is possible with dialogue. Only diplomacy and farsightedness can set free from violence and baggage of the past. We know it is not easy but we need to keep trying as a lot is at stake,&quot; PM Modi said.

The prime minister said India was aiding the construction of a diplomatic institute in Palestine.

&quot;India is aiding the construction of an Institute of Diplomacy in Palestine. I am happy that we are moving forward with our developmental corporation forward during this visit,&quot; PM Modi said.

The two countries will double the exchange of students this year, PM Modi said.

&quot;I am happy to announce that we will double the exchange of students from this year taking it from 50 to 100,&quot; he said.

PM Modi, who was conferred with the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine said it was &quot;a great honour for India and a symbol of Palestine&#39;s friendship.&quot;

&quot;This is an honour for India and a symbol of Palestine&#39;s friendship. I thank you on behalf of all Indians for this,&quot; he said.

PM Modi lauded Palestinians for the exemplary courage they had shown during difficult times.

&quot;People of Palestine have continuously shown exemplary courage in extremely tough times, in spite of the fact that there was an unstable environment. The way you moved forward in such a situation is praiseworthy, we appreciate it,&quot; PM Modi said.

Speaking on Palestinian-Israel relations, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said his country was ready to engage in negotiations and relied on India&#39;s role as an international force.

&quot;We have said and will say we are ready to engage in negotiations. We rely on India&#39;s role as an international force and its role in the non-alignment movement and in the international fora, in a way that is conducive to desired peace in our region,&quot; President Abbas said.

The Palestinian president also asserted his country&#39;s commitment to political action and negotiations with Israel.

&quot;Here I would like to assert our commitment to political action and negotiations as means of achieving our national goals to freedom and independence in accordance with the two states&#39; relation along the lines of 1967,&quot; he said.

President Abbas appreciated that India had &quot;always stood by peace in Palestine.&quot;

&quot;It is my honour to welcome you as a great guest, on your first historic visit to Palestine which holds, to you personally and to the people of india, sentiments of love and appreciation. Indian leadership has always stood by peace in Palestine,&quot; President Mahmoud Abbas said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Indian PM and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas signed six memoranda of understanding (MOUs)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived in Palestine's Ramallah, the headquarters of the Palestine National Authority, as a part of his three-nation tour. The Indian PM and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas signed six memoranda of understanding (MOUs) worth USD 50 million that includes the setting up of a USD 30 million super speciality hospital in Beit Sahur. Three agreements in the education sector worth USD 5 million, one MoU for procurement of equipment and machinery for the National Printing Press and one for construction of a centre for empowering women were also signed. PM Modi said that Palestine had always taken a "top spot in India's foreign policy." "India and Palestine's relations have stood the test of time. Palestine has always taken a top spot in our foreign policy," the Indian PM said at a joint press conference with President Mahmoud Abbas. PM Modi said India hoped Palestine would become a free country peacefully and only dialogue could result in a solution to its conflict with Israel. "I have assured President Abbas that India is bound by a promise to take care of Palestinian people's interests. India hopes that soon Palestine will come a free country in a peaceful manner," PM Modi said. "We hope for peace and stability in Palestine, we believe a permanent solution is possible with dialogue. Only diplomacy and farsightedness can set free from violence and baggage of the past. We know it is not easy but we need to keep trying as a lot is at stake," PM Modi said. The prime minister said India was aiding the construction of a diplomatic institute in Palestine. "India is aiding the construction of an Institute of Diplomacy in Palestine. I am happy that we are moving forward with our developmental corporation forward during this visit," PM Modi said. The two countries will double the exchange of students this year, PM Modi said. "I am happy to announce that we will double the exchange of students from this year taking it from 50 to 100," he said. PM Modi, who was conferred with the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine said it was "a great honour for India and a symbol of Palestine's friendship." "This is an honour for India and a symbol of Palestine's friendship. I thank you on behalf of all Indians for this," he said. PM Modi lauded Palestinians for the exemplary courage they had shown during difficult times. "People of Palestine have continuously shown exemplary courage in extremely tough times, in spite of the fact that there was an unstable environment. The way you moved forward in such a situation is praiseworthy, we appreciate it," PM Modi said. Speaking on Palestinian-Israel relations, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said his country was ready to engage in negotiations and relied on India's role as an international force. "We have said and will say we are ready to engage in negotiations. We rely on India's role as an international force and its role in the non-alignment movement and in the international fora, in a way that is conducive to desired peace in our region," President Abbas said. The Palestinian president also asserted his country's commitment to political action and negotiations with Israel. "Here I would like to assert our commitment to political action and negotiations as means of achieving our national goals to freedom and independence in accordance with the two states' relation along the lines of 1967," he said. President Abbas appreciated that India had "always stood by peace in Palestine." "It is my honour to welcome you as a great guest, on your first historic visit to Palestine which holds, to you personally and to the people of india, sentiments of love and appreciation. Indian leadership has always stood by peace in Palestine," President Mahmoud Abbas said. (With inputs from agencies)

Hope Palestine will soon become a free country: PM Modi

When President Donald Trump told the Palestinian president of his intention to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital, he assured him a peace plan being put together would please the Palestinians, officials said, an apparent effort to limit fallout over his break with longtime U.S. policy.

Trump&rsquo;s phone call to Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, the day before he made his bombshell announcement on Jerusalem, appeared to shed new light on behind-the-scenes efforts by White House advisers to craft a peace blueprint expected to be rolled out in the first half of 2018 but which has now been thrown into doubt because of an angry outcry across the Middle East.

With Palestinians declaring it will be difficult for the United States to act as an honest broker after essentially siding with Israel on one of the central disputes in the conflict, administration officials said they expected a &ldquo;cooling-off period.&rdquo;

Trump&rsquo;s team, led by his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, will press on with the development of a plan to serve as the foundation for renewed Israeli&ndash;Palestinian negotiations, hoping the furore will blow over and that any pause in diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians will not last long, U.S. officials said.

But amid protests in the Palestinian territories and uncertainty about whether the Palestinians will stay engaged in the peace effort, one U.S. official said the process could still be disrupted.

&ldquo;If they are still saying they&rsquo;re not going to talk, we&rsquo;re not going to do it then,&rdquo; the official said.

Washington&#39;s major Western and Arab allies have warned that Trump&#39;s decision on Jerusalem could doom attempts to achieve what the U.S. president has called the &ldquo;ultimate deal&rdquo; of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Details of the negotiating framework have yet to be finalised and there is little indication of tangible progress.

But officials said it would deal with all the major issues, including Jerusalem, borders, security, the future of Jewish settlements on occupied land and the fate of Palestinian refugees, and would also call for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to provide significant financial support to the Palestinians.

In his call to Abbas on Tuesday, Trump sought to temper the blow from his Jerusalem announcement by stressing that the Palestinians stood to gain from the peace plan that Kushner and U.S. Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt were crafting, according to two U.S. and two Palestinian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 
Important settlement&nbsp;

Trump told Abbas, a Western-backed moderate, that the final peace blueprint would offer the Palestinians an important settlement that they would be pleased with, but did not provide specifics, the sources said.

Abbas told Trump in response that any peace process must result in the Palestinians having their capital in East Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said. Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed it in a move not recognised internationally.

A senior U.S. official said Trump told Abbas he wanted to discuss the issues in person and invited him to visit the White House, although the timing was unclear.

Palestinians have grown increasingly concerned that any plan Trump unveils will shortchange them, a fear that deepened with Trump&rsquo;s formal endorsement of Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital, upending decades of U.S. policy that the ancient city&rsquo;s status must be decided in negotiations.

Jerusalem is home to sites holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Kushner, who had no government or diplomatic experience before joining his father-in-law&rsquo;s White House, has mostly kept his discussions under wraps.

U.S. officials say Kushner backed Trump&rsquo;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital and order the eventual relocation of the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv, although he was aware of the potential for complicating his peace efforts.

But one White House official said that because the peace effort had not yet led to negotiations between the two sides, Kushner&rsquo;s team believed the initial outcry over the Jerusalem decision could eventually be overcome.

The official said the plan, which he described as comprehensive and going beyond frameworks put forth by previous U.S. administrations, would likely be unveiled before the middle of next year.

A key test of keeping the peace efforts on track will be whether Abbas goes ahead with a scheduled meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region in mid-December. A senior Palestinian official said on Thursday that Pence was &ldquo;unwelcome in Palestine.&rdquo;

Trump, the officials said, had insisted that U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital was not meant to prejudge the outcome of future negotiations on that issue or others between the two sides.

U.S. officials acknowledged that Trump&rsquo;s Jerusalem moves could also put a damper on cooperation from Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, which the administration is trying to enlist in the peace process.

They contended, however, that the broader Arab world was also concerned about keeping Trump involved in confronting Iran and fighting Islamic State militants and was therefore unlikely to remain disengaged for long from efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

One U.S. official said the Palestinians were in such a weak position that they would ultimately have no choice but to stay involved in U.S.-led peace efforts.

Another argument that Trump&rsquo;s aides will likely make to Palestinians is that having granted Israel recognition of its claim to Jerusalem, the U.S. leader might now have more leverage for seeking concessions later on from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the U.S. official said.

With Palestinians declaring it will be difficult for the United States to act as an honest broker after essentially siding with Israel on one of the central disputes in the conflict, administration officials said they expected a ?cooling-off period.?

When President Donald Trump told the Palestinian president of his intention to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he assured him a peace plan being put together would please the Palestinians, officials said, an apparent effort to limit fallout over his break with longtime U.S. policy. Trump’s phone call to Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, the day before he made his bombshell announcement on Jerusalem, appeared to shed new light on behind-the-scenes efforts by White House advisers to craft a peace blueprint expected to be rolled out in the first half of 2018 but which has now been thrown into doubt because of an angry outcry across the Middle East. With Palestinians declaring it will be difficult for the United States to act as an honest broker after essentially siding with Israel on one of the central disputes in the conflict, administration officials said they expected a “cooling-off period.” Trump’s team, led by his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, will press on with the development of a plan to serve as the foundation for renewed Israeli–Palestinian negotiations, hoping the furore will blow over and that any pause in diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians will not last long, U.S. officials said. But amid protests in the Palestinian territories and uncertainty about whether the Palestinians will stay engaged in the peace effort, one U.S. official said the process could still be disrupted. “If they are still saying they’re not going to talk, we’re not going to do it then,” the official said. Washington's major Western and Arab allies have warned that Trump's decision on Jerusalem could doom attempts to achieve what the U.S. president has called the “ultimate deal” of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Details of the negotiating framework have yet to be finalised and there is little indication of tangible progress. But officials said it would deal with all the major issues, including Jerusalem, borders, security, the future of Jewish settlements on occupied land and the fate of Palestinian refugees, and would also call for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to provide significant financial support to the Palestinians. In his call to Abbas on Tuesday, Trump sought to temper the blow from his Jerusalem announcement by stressing that the Palestinians stood to gain from the peace plan that Kushner and U.S. Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt were crafting, according to two U.S. and two Palestinian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Important settlement Trump told Abbas, a Western-backed moderate, that the final peace blueprint would offer the Palestinians an important settlement that they would be pleased with, but did not provide specifics, the sources said. Abbas told Trump in response that any peace process must result in the Palestinians having their capital in East Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said. Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed it in a move not recognised internationally. A senior U.S. official said Trump told Abbas he wanted to discuss the issues in person and invited him to visit the White House, although the timing was unclear. Palestinians have grown increasingly concerned that any plan Trump unveils will shortchange them, a fear that deepened with Trump’s formal endorsement of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, upending decades of U.S. policy that the ancient city’s status must be decided in negotiations. Jerusalem is home to sites holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians. Kushner, who had no government or diplomatic experience before joining his father-in-law’s White House, has mostly kept his discussions under wraps. U.S. officials say Kushner backed Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and order the eventual relocation of the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv, although he was aware of the potential for complicating his peace efforts. But one White House official said that because the peace effort had not yet led to negotiations between the two sides, Kushner’s team believed the initial outcry over the Jerusalem decision could eventually be overcome. The official said the plan, which he described as comprehensive and going beyond frameworks put forth by previous U.S. administrations, would likely be unveiled before the middle of next year. A key test of keeping the peace efforts on track will be whether Abbas goes ahead with a scheduled meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region in mid-December. A senior Palestinian official said on Thursday that Pence was “unwelcome in Palestine.” Trump, the officials said, had insisted that U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was not meant to prejudge the outcome of future negotiations on that issue or others between the two sides. U.S. officials acknowledged that Trump’s Jerusalem moves could also put a damper on cooperation from Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, which the administration is trying to enlist in the peace process. They contended, however, that the broader Arab world was also concerned about keeping Trump involved in confronting Iran and fighting Islamic State militants and was therefore unlikely to remain disengaged for long from efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One U.S. official said the Palestinians were in such a weak position that they would ultimately have no choice but to stay involved in U.S.-led peace efforts. Another argument that Trump’s aides will likely make to Palestinians is that having granted Israel recognition of its claim to Jerusalem, the U.S. leader might now have more leverage for seeking concessions later on from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the U.S. official said.

Trump dangles Middle East peace plan to limit Jerusalem outcry

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in New Delhi on Sunday&nbsp;on a four-day visit during which he will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Middle East peace process.

Ahead of Abbas&#39; visit, India reiterated its &quot;political support&quot; to the Palestinian cause and had said it continued to assist developmental projects there.

The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, and regional and international issues, external affairs ministry said.

Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit, the ministry added.

A delegation-level discussion between President Abbas and Prime Minister Modi will be held on May 16.

&quot;India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance,&quot; the ministry had said in a release on Saturday.&nbsp;

The statement assumes significance given that there have been commentaries on the increasing proximity between the Modi government and Israel which may have a bearing on New Delhi&#39;s relations with Palestine.

In July, Modi will travel to Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so.

During his trip to India, Abbas will visit C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in Noida tomorrow to forge cooperation between Palestine-India Techno Park, being built by India in Palestine, and the Indian IT industry.

(PTI)

Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are expected to be signed during the visit,

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on a four-day visit during which he will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Middle East peace process. Ahead of Abbas' visit, India reiterated its "political support" to the Palestinian cause and had said it continued to assist developmental projects there. The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, and regional and international issues, external affairs ministry said. Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit, the ministry added. A delegation-level discussion between President Abbas and Prime Minister Modi will be held on May 16. "India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance," the ministry had said in a release on Saturday. The statement assumes significance given that there have been commentaries on the increasing proximity between the Modi government and Israel which may have a bearing on New Delhi's relations with Palestine. In July, Modi will travel to Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so. During his trip to India, Abbas will visit C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in Noida tomorrow to forge cooperation between Palestine-India Techno Park, being built by India in Palestine, and the Indian IT industry. (PTI)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in India on four-day visit

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday dropped its longstanding call for Israel&#39;s destruction, but said it still rejected the country&#39;s right to exist and backs &quot;armed struggle&quot; against it.

In a policy document presented in Doha by its leader Khaled Meshaal, Hamas also said it would end its association with the Muslim Brotherhood, a move apparently aimed at improving ties with Gulf Arab states and Egypt, which view the Brotherhood as a terrorist group.

Israel responded to the announcement by accusing Hamas of trying to &quot;fool the world&quot;, while the group&#39;s main Palestinian political rival, the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas, also reacted coolly to the policy shift.

The publication of the policy document comes two days before Abbas is due to visit Washington, and days after President Donald Trump told Reuters he may travel to Israel this month and sees no reason why there should not be peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

&quot;We don&#39;t want to dilute our principles but we want to be open. We hope this (document) will mark a change in the stance of European states towards us,&quot; Meshaal told reporters.

Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, said in the document it agreed to a transitional Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, when Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a war with Arab states. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

&quot;Hamas advocates the liberation of all of Palestine but is ready to support the state on 1967 borders without recognising Israel or ceding any rights,&quot; said Meshaal, in a shift that brings Hamas more into line with the position of Fatah.

&quot;Terror Tunnels&quot;

Israel said the document aimed to deceive the world that Hamas was becoming more moderate.

&quot;Hamas is attempting to fool the world but it will not succeed,&quot; said David Keyes, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. &quot;They dig terror tunnels and have launched thousands upon thousands of missiles at Israeli civilians. This is the real Hamas.&quot;

Founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the banned Egyptian Islamist movement, Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2007 and has carried out hundreds of armed attacks in Israel and in Israeli-occupied territories.

Many Western countries classify Hamas as a terrorist group over its failure to renounce violence, recognise Israel&#39;s right to exist and accept existing interim Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements.

Meshaal said Hamas&#39;s fight was not against Judaism as a religion but against what he called &quot;aggressor Zionists&quot;.

Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasme upbraided Hamas for taking decades to join Fatah in accepting a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, a position Hamas used to criticise Fatah for.

&quot;Hamas&#39;s new document is identical to that taken by Fatah in 1988. Hamas is required to make an apology to Fatah after 30 years of accusing us of treason for that policy,&quot; Qawasme said.

It remained unclear whether the document replaces Hamas&#39;s 1988 charter, which calls for Israel&rsquo;s destruction. Meshaal said the document would &quot;guide Hamas&#39;s daily political activity&quot;.

Abbas&#39;s Palestinian Authority has engaged in peace talks with Israel on the basis of seeking a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, although the last, US-mediated round collapsed three years ago.

There was no immediate comment on Monday from Egypt and Gulf Arab states to the Hamas document.

&quot;For Hamas ... it&#39;s a signal of their desire to align with conservative Sunni elements in the region and create some immunity (from Saudi pressure),&quot; said Beverley Milton-Edwards, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre and author of a book on Hamas.

But while the document could strengthen Hamas&#39;s position in the Palestinian Territories and the Middle East, she said, it was unlikely to lead &quot;to any definitive swing in opinion in the group&#39;s favour in the United States or even Europe.&quot;

Meshaal said Hamas remained part of the Muslim Brotherhood&#39;s &quot;intellectual school&quot; but was &quot;an independent Palestinian organisation&quot;.

US-allied Arab states including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia classify the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. The 89-year-old Brotherhood held power in Egypt for a year after a popular uprising in 2011, but was then removed by the army after mass street protests.

The Brotherhood denies links with Islamist militants and advocates Islamist political parties winning power through elections, which Saudi Arabia considers a threat to its system of absolute power through inherited rule.

(Reuters)

Hamas dropped its longstanding call for Israel's destruction

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday dropped its longstanding call for Israel's destruction, but said it still rejected the country's right to exist and backs "armed struggle" against it. In a policy document presented in Doha by its leader Khaled Meshaal, Hamas also said it would end its association with the Muslim Brotherhood, a move apparently aimed at improving ties with Gulf Arab states and Egypt, which view the Brotherhood as a terrorist group. Israel responded to the announcement by accusing Hamas of trying to "fool the world", while the group's main Palestinian political rival, the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas, also reacted coolly to the policy shift. The publication of the policy document comes two days before Abbas is due to visit Washington, and days after President Donald Trump told Reuters he may travel to Israel this month and sees no reason why there should not be peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "We don't want to dilute our principles but we want to be open. We hope this (document) will mark a change in the stance of European states towards us," Meshaal told reporters. Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, said in the document it agreed to a transitional Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, when Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a war with Arab states. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. "Hamas advocates the liberation of all of Palestine but is ready to support the state on 1967 borders without recognising Israel or ceding any rights," said Meshaal, in a shift that brings Hamas more into line with the position of Fatah. "Terror Tunnels" Israel said the document aimed to deceive the world that Hamas was becoming more moderate. "Hamas is attempting to fool the world but it will not succeed," said David Keyes, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "They dig terror tunnels and have launched thousands upon thousands of missiles at Israeli civilians. This is the real Hamas." Founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the banned Egyptian Islamist movement, Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2007 and has carried out hundreds of armed attacks in Israel and in Israeli-occupied territories. Many Western countries classify Hamas as a terrorist group over its failure to renounce violence, recognise Israel's right to exist and accept existing interim Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements. Meshaal said Hamas's fight was not against Judaism as a religion but against what he called "aggressor Zionists". Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasme upbraided Hamas for taking decades to join Fatah in accepting a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, a position Hamas used to criticise Fatah for. "Hamas's new document is identical to that taken by Fatah in 1988. Hamas is required to make an apology to Fatah after 30 years of accusing us of treason for that policy," Qawasme said. It remained unclear whether the document replaces Hamas's 1988 charter, which calls for Israel’s destruction. Meshaal said the document would "guide Hamas's daily political activity". Abbas's Palestinian Authority has engaged in peace talks with Israel on the basis of seeking a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, although the last, US-mediated round collapsed three years ago. There was no immediate comment on Monday from Egypt and Gulf Arab states to the Hamas document. "For Hamas ... it's a signal of their desire to align with conservative Sunni elements in the region and create some immunity (from Saudi pressure)," said Beverley Milton-Edwards, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre and author of a book on Hamas. But while the document could strengthen Hamas's position in the Palestinian Territories and the Middle East, she said, it was unlikely to lead "to any definitive swing in opinion in the group's favour in the United States or even Europe." Meshaal said Hamas remained part of the Muslim Brotherhood's "intellectual school" but was "an independent Palestinian organisation". US-allied Arab states including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia classify the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. The 89-year-old Brotherhood held power in Egypt for a year after a popular uprising in 2011, but was then removed by the army after mass street protests. The Brotherhood denies links with Islamist militants and advocates Islamist political parties winning power through elections, which Saudi Arabia considers a threat to its system of absolute power through inherited rule. (Reuters)

Hamas softens stance on Israel ahead of Mahmoud Abbas's meeting with Trump

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says US President Donald Trump has assured him of his commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Abbas today spoke about what he described as a constructive phone call with Trump two days earlier. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Abbas as saying that Trump &quot;asserted his full commitment to the peace process.&quot;

Abbas says he told Trump he opposes extremism and will cooperate with the US to reach a peace deal based on the establishment of a Palestinian state next to Israel.

The phone call helped allay concerns the Palestinians were being ignored by Trump, who has embraced Israel&#39;s leader and at one point suggested the two-state solution was optional. 
 
Abbas says he is to meet Trump at the White House in &quot;the near future.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Mahmoud Abbas told Trump he will cooperate with the US to reach a peace deal based on establishing a Palestinian state next to Israel

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says US President Donald Trump has assured him of his commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Abbas today spoke about what he described as a constructive phone call with Trump two days earlier. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Abbas as saying that Trump "asserted his full commitment to the peace process." Abbas says he told Trump he opposes extremism and will cooperate with the US to reach a peace deal based on the establishment of a Palestinian state next to Israel. The phone call helped allay concerns the Palestinians were being ignored by Trump, who has embraced Israel's leader and at one point suggested the two-state solution was optional. Abbas says he is to meet Trump at the White House in "the near future." (PTI)

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas says Trump committed to Mideast peace process

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the Middle East with Pope Francis on Saturday and said prospects for peace there will suffer if US&nbsp;president-elect Donald Trump moves Washington&#39;s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

&quot;We are waiting to see if it happens. If it does, it will not help peace and we hope it does not happen,&quot; Abbas told reporters outside the Vatican gates minutes after 25 minutes of talks with the pope.

Abbas, who spoke through an interpreter, stopped in Rome to open the new embassy of the State of Palestine to the Vatican.

Trump&#39;s promise to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would upend decades of US policy. Israel and the Palestinians, who are seeking a state of their own, both claim Jerusalem as their capital. Successive US&nbsp;administrations have said the city&rsquo;s status must be negotiated.

Jerusalem, which Israeli has declared its &quot;united and eternal capital,&quot; is home to sites sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians.

The Vatican, which keeps its embassy to Israel in Jaffa and also backs a two-state solution, implicitly recognised a Palestinian state for years but in 2015 made it official by signing a treaty with the State of Palestine.

As he was leaving the pope&#39;s study, Abbas said the opening of the new embassy to the Vatican was &quot;a sign that the pope loves the people of Palestine and loves peace.&quot;

In a statement, the Vatican called for a resumption of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians &quot;to bring an end to the violence that causes unacceptable suffering to civilian populations, and to find a just and lasting solution.&quot;

It called for a climate that could lead to &quot;courageous decisions&quot;.

In an interview with Le Figaro newspaper on Saturday Abbas said he had written to Trump to warn him against moving the embassy.

&quot;Not only would it strip the United States of all its legitimacy to play a role in resolving the conflict, but it would reduce to nothing a two-state solution.&quot;

He said the Palestinians would discuss several options on how to respond after consultations with Arab states.

&quot;Going back on our recognition of Israel is one of them, but we hope that we won&#39;t get there and will be able to work with the next American administration,&quot; Abbas said.

(Reuters)

Trump has promised to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem - a city which both Israel and Palestine claim as their capital

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the Middle East with Pope Francis on Saturday and said prospects for peace there will suffer if US president-elect Donald Trump moves Washington's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. "We are waiting to see if it happens. If it does, it will not help peace and we hope it does not happen," Abbas told reporters outside the Vatican gates minutes after 25 minutes of talks with the pope. Abbas, who spoke through an interpreter, stopped in Rome to open the new embassy of the State of Palestine to the Vatican. Trump's promise to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would upend decades of US policy. Israel and the Palestinians, who are seeking a state of their own, both claim Jerusalem as their capital. Successive US administrations have said the city’s status must be negotiated. Jerusalem, which Israeli has declared its "united and eternal capital," is home to sites sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. The Vatican, which keeps its embassy to Israel in Jaffa and also backs a two-state solution, implicitly recognised a Palestinian state for years but in 2015 made it official by signing a treaty with the State of Palestine. As he was leaving the pope's study, Abbas said the opening of the new embassy to the Vatican was "a sign that the pope loves the people of Palestine and loves peace." In a statement, the Vatican called for a resumption of direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians "to bring an end to the violence that causes unacceptable suffering to civilian populations, and to find a just and lasting solution." It called for a climate that could lead to "courageous decisions". In an interview with Le Figaro newspaper on Saturday Abbas said he had written to Trump to warn him against moving the embassy. "Not only would it strip the United States of all its legitimacy to play a role in resolving the conflict, but it would reduce to nothing a two-state solution." He said the Palestinians would discuss several options on how to respond after consultations with Arab states. "Going back on our recognition of Israel is one of them, but we hope that we won't get there and will be able to work with the next American administration," Abbas said. (Reuters)

Palestinian president warns peace prospect will suffer in US embassy move

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