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Hamas Statements on Israel Show Flexibility

Hamas' public stance toward the conflict with Israel has fluctuated since the 1990s, but the organization insists its goals haven't changed, Hazem Balousha writes.
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal shakes hands with a man as he leaves the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip December 10, 2012. Hamas leader Meshaal ended his first visit to the Gaza Strip on Monday with a pledge his Islamist movement would strive to heal political rifts with Palestinian rivals who hold sway in the occupied West Bank. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS)

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal expressed a tough stance during his recent visit to the Gaza Strip, reaffirming the Islamists’ position on the liberation of historic Palestine from the river to the sea.

But only a few days earlier, Meshaal had discussed Hamas' acceptance of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, which is compatible with the stance of rival Fatah.

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