A Hamas official said the Islamist terror movement which controls the Gaza Strip said it "opposes any dialogue with Israel, especially concerning the diplomatic issue."
Salah Bardawil was responding to a statement made Monday by Israeli President Shimon Peres who said that Israel is ready to enter into negotiations with Hamas if the movement will recognize the terms of the diplomatic Quartet.
"Peres must choose between settling on Palestinian soil and waiting for further attacks and leaving Palestine," Bardawil, quoted by Ynetnews, responded.
Peres made the statement just a day after igniting a political storm in Israel by calling Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a partner for peace and expressing the need for renewed peace talks, in an address to 160 ambassadors and heads of Israeli missions abroad.
“People ask, why not talk with Hamas? There is nothing wrong, if you get a reply,” Peres said, speaking during a New Year's event for Christian leaders in Israel at the Jerusalem presidential compound. “We are willing to talk to Hamas, but they aren’t willing to talk to us,” he said.
The President said that in order for dialogue to take place, Hamas must “accept the conditions of the Mideast Quartet (composed of the US, the UN, EU and Russia),” including the cessation of terror, a recognition of Israel, and the acceptance of previous agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“These are not conditions set by us, but by the international community,” Peres said.
"There is the Palestinian Authority, with which we have signed agreements, and there is a separate organization in Gaza and that is Hamas. They have to decide whether they want to build or open fire. We have no interest in perpetuating suffering in Gaza. Israel would be happy to see Gaza flourish."
He said the recent influx of aid money into Gaza from Qatar "must be used for construction, not rockets."
“Peace is not just a dream… it is a goal that can be promoted, and we must do so with courage and honesty,” Peres said, noting Israel’s peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and the ongoing “peace process” with the Palestinians.
Peres, who was recently invited by the European Union in Brussels, where he will travel in March, also said, "Peace is not just a necessity, it is a biblical commandment from both the Old and New Testaments."
On Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party lashed out at Peres after the president called for renewed negotiations with Abbas, and said the his support for a two-state solution was divorced from public opinion.
In contrast to the Likud party’s strong response, Netanyahu defended Peres at a dedication ceremony for a new train station in Beit Shean on Sunday evening.
“I respect the president and I appreciate him,” Netanyahu said. “We meet often, including on Fridays. There are a range of opinions, and we exchange our opinions on many relevant current issues. This is how it has always been and this is how it will continue to be.”
The Prime Minister’s Office also issued an official statement, saying the Prime Mminister is “aware that the President has a desire to express his opinions on political issues and is not surprised by them.”
"But the Prime Minister believes that the President, especially just before elections, is not supposed to say such things."