Report: Hamas will recognize Israel

According to a Thursday report on Al-Jazeera, the Hamas government will recognize Israel if Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders. Hamas officials close to Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh expect Haniyeh to announce the change in the organization's platform in the next few days, Army Radio reported. The international community has pressured Hamas since the group assumed power to acknowledge Israel's right to exist. The United States and the European Community have even frozen aid to the PA, with the exception of humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, PA Chirman Mahmoud Abbas, who left Wednesday for a visit to Morocco, was scheduled to meet with French President Jaque Chirac at the end of April. This would be Abbas's first visit to Paris since Hamas won the PA elections in January.