Hamas official: 'Ready to establish a Palestinian state within the '67 borders and then lay down our arms'

Is Hamas ready to lay down its weapons?

Khalil al-Hayya, one of the senior leaders of the terror group's political wing who has been involved in the ceasefire negotiations with Israel, sat down for an interview with the Associated Press in Istanbul where he gave the headline that Hamas could be ready to end its armed resistance.

Al-Hayya said Hamas would accept “a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with the international resolutions,” along Israel’s pre-1967 borders. In return, the group’s military wing would dissolve.

In the negotiations, Hamas has been pushing for a deal that would lead to a permanent ceasefire in order to prevent Israel from resuming its operations after hostages would be released.

“If we are not assured the war will end, why would I hand over the prisoners?” Al-Hayya told AP.

The Hamas official said the group could agree to a truce of five years or more and fold its military wing into a political party if an independent Palestinian state were to be established.

“All the experiences of people who fought against occupiers, when they became independent and obtained their rights and their state, what have these forces done? They have turned into political parties and their defending fighting forces have turned into the national army,” he said.

A high-level delegation of Hamas's political officials, led by politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, were in Turkey last week where Haniyeh met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Reports have swirled that Hamas's leadership abroad is looking to relocate out of Qatar, with Turkey already playing host to a number of Hamas officials. However, Al-Hayya denied a permanent move of Hamas's political office and said they still want Doha to mediate the talks with Israel.

In a statement last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: "Hamas has assured him of its willingness to establish a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. Once established, the movement will be able to abandon armed struggle."

Such a change in position toward embracing a two-state solution marks a stark departure from the terror group's establishing principle to eradicate Israel. It is unclear whether Hamas would completely give up its raison d'etre, and there has been no reaction yet from Israel or the Palestinian Authority.

Al-Hayya struck a further conciliatory note, stating that he would want to see Hamas join the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) which is headed by rival faction Fatah. The unified government would rule over the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He added that they are opposed to the presence of any foreign forces, as talks about "day-after" plans have repeatedly proposed a coalition of regional forces to be deployed to ensure the peace in Gaza. He also implicitly threatened the humanitarian pier off Gaza's coast, which is being built by the United States and guarded by Israel.

“We categorically reject any non-Palestinian presence in Gaza, whether at sea or on land, and we will deal with any military force present in these places, Israeli or otherwise … as an occupying power,” Al-Hayya said.