BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The victory of Muhammad Mursi in the Egyptian presidential elections could enable Hamas to secure international recognition, an official in the party said Monday.
The election of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, the historic parent movement of Gaza-rulers Hamas, in neighboring Egypt was received with jubilation in the Gaza Strip.
Ahmad Yousef, widely regarded as a Hamas moderate, told Ma'an the Mursi presidency could help end the West's isolation of the movement, as well as ending Israel's blockade on the coastal enclave.
Mursi as president will "get the international community to recognize us and deal with us, just as it did with the Islamists in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen," Yousef predicted.
The Hamas official said the movement would accept any condition from the international community but one, recognizing Israel, as he said it means giving up rights.
"I am confident that the West will deal with Hamas and remove the movement from the terrorism list, because for four years Hamas has started to show moderation and flexibility," he said.
Hamas is ready to take Egypt's advice, and to accept any reconciliation deal it brokers with party rivals Fatah, he added.
While the Mursi presidency is important for Palestine, Yousef acknowledged the first priority would be Egypt's own stability.
"Stability in Egypt will perfect the strong triangle in the region consisting of Turkey and Iran in addition to Egypt," he said.
Yousef said that the party could take advantage from the victory, but "in the end of the day, polls will decide who deserves to lead the Palestinian affairs. Hamas will either be leading again, or join opposition."
Meanwhile, adviser to the Fatah president, Nimir Hammad said Hamas' confidence after the Mursi victory was misplaced.
"Hamas’ judgments are not accurate. If their judgments about the situation in Palestine are inaccurate, how can they give accurate judgments about Egypt?" he retorted.
Front Page Features