Netanyahu statement proves `absurdity` of talks: Hamas

The Israeli PM has rejected a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.

Gaza City: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s rejection of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders shows the "absurdity" of talks with Israel, according to Hamas.

"The announcement from Netanyahu that there would be no retreat from the borders of the Occupied Territories proves the absurdity of negotiations and the pointlessness of continuing to run after the mirage of a compromise...," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said yesterday.

"We call for the adoption of an Arab and Palestinian strategy based on resistance and the preservation of our rights in the face of this Israeli arrogance," he added.

"We in Hamas confirm our response to these declarations that we do not recognise the legitimacy of the (Israeli) occupation of an inch of the land of Palestine," he said.

The Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, this month signed a surprise unity agreement with the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas. Fatah runs the West Bank.

In a keynote policy speech on Thursday, Obama included a clear call for Israel and the Palestinians to use the lines that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war as the basis for talks to resolve the conflict.

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