[AP/Ha'aretz] Israel will negotiate with a Hamas-Fatah unity government if the Islamic group recognizes Israel, renounces violence, and accepts existing peace deals, Prime Minister Olmert said in an interview published Monday in the Palestinian newspaper al-Quds. A Hamas official based in Damascus said Monday that Hamas and Fatah had agreed on former Islamic University president Mohammed Shabir as the next prime minister. In the interview, Olmert said he would be willing to release "a large number" of Palestinian prisoners, but not before Hamas released Cpl. Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier captured in a cross-border raid in June.
2006-11-14 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive