MIDDLE EAST: An Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip could be followed by Palestinian elections that might include militant groups like Hamas, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, Mr Nabil Sha'ath, said yesterday.
Expressing a desire for Hamas to be involved in the Palestinian leadership after an Israeli exit from Gaza, Mr Sha'ath said he hoped a withdrawal "will pave the road for a Palestinian general election with participation with Hamas".
He made his remarks after emerging from a meeting with Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat in Ramallah.
The statement comes amid contacts between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas officials over the inclusion of the group, in some form, in a body that will rule Gaza if Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon does implement his plan to evacuate all of the 21 Jewish settlements in the Strip.
Earlier this week, Mr Arafat said he was considering including Hamas in a new Palestinian leadership in Gaza after an Israeli withdrawal.
Mr Arafat has made overtures to Hamas in the past, but the radical Islamic group views the Palestinian Authority as lacking legitimacy, especially because it came into existence as part of the Oslo Accords which were negotiated with Israel. Hamas has never recognized the Jewish state and advocates its destruction. The sides are due to meet again on Saturday.
But the collapse of the peace process, and the complete breakdown in contacts between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, may partly explain Hamas' readiness to talk to Mr Arafat about a power-sharing arrangement.
The daily Haaretz reported yesterday that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Mr Arafat's ruling Fatah party in Gaza, had drawn up a draft "national plan" to serve as a basis for negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and armed groups on control of the Strip after Israel has left.
The sides, however, are still said to be far from reaching agreement.
Neither Israel nor the US is enamoured with the idea of a group like Hamas, which has been responsible for many of the suicide bombings inside Israel, participating in the Palestinian leadership.
Earlier this week, American officials publicly expressed their concern over Hamas being part of a ruling body in Gaza.
"This is another effort by the Palestinian Authority to bypass the requirement to fight terrorism," Mr Raanan Gissin, an aide to Mr Sharon, said yesterday.
"This is not Hamas joining the PA. This is the PA joining Hamas."