Qatar wants to broker truce

Israeli media sources reported on Monday that the Qatari Foreign Minister Shikh Hamad bin- Jassem al-thani said that his country is willing to mediate a truce between Hamas and Zionist regime.

The statement came during a meeting between the Qatari official and left wing Zionist MP, Yousi Beilin.

The meeting took place in Doha during a conference for retired foreign ministers on Sunday.

In his statement al-thani said, "It will be a great mistake to think that the Palestinian president will be able to achieve peace without Hamas involvement in negotiations."

After the Hamas movement won the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006, the USA and the EU placed the Palestinians under harsh economic sanctions. They demanded that Hamas recognize Israel and renounce violence. Hamas refused and demanded Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian first.

In an attempt to end the blockade, Saudi Arabia mediated a deal between Hamas and President Abbas' of Fattah which achieved the first Palestinian national unity government in an agreement known as the Mecca agreement.

Al-thani stated that there was a need to revive the Mecca agreement, to ensure that Palestinian rights are upheld.