Jerusalem: Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh restated his demand that Israel withdraw to boundaries it has already rejected, offering in return a long-term ceasefire that falls well short of a formal peace treaty.
In a rare interview with an Israeli newspaper, published Tuesday in Haaretz daily, Haniyeh, who heads a government formed by the Islamic militant group Hamas, said Israel must leave all of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, areas it captured in the 1967 Middle East War.
"If Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders, peace will prevail and we will implement a ceasefire for many years," he told Haaretz.
"Our government is prepared to maintain a long-term cease-fire with Israel."
Although his comments reflected previous statements, the exclusive interview with Israeli reporter Danny Rubinstein, conducted in Haniyeh's south Gaza office, was unusual and was published in Israel hours before Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to outline his plan for a further West Bank withdrawal to President Bush in the White House.
Israel, while accepting the principle of an independent Palestinian state, has said many times that it has no intention of returning to the exact lines it held prior to the 1967 conflict.
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