Khaled Mashal, the exiled supreme leader of Hamas and one of Israel's most wanted men, has signalled his intention to return to the Gaza Strip following the organisation's landslide victory. The European Union is said to be facilitating Mr Mashal's return from Damascus next week, when he will begin talks with Mr Abbas over a possible political partnership with Fatah. Quoting sources close to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds said that the EU was lobbying the United States, which was in turn appealing to Israel not to block Mr Mashal's repatriation. A spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy in London told Times Online that Israel would be powerless to prevent Mr Mashal from entering Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.She said: "The Gaza Strip is not our responsibility. If Mr Mashal wants to go there it is none of our business. It's for the Egyptian Government to decide whether to allow him to through - I am happy to say that Israel does not have one Israeli soldier or person at that crossing. "But if he wanted to move from Gaza to Ramallah [in the West Bank] it is a different matter. He is a terrorist. There is no way this person who sent terrorists to kill hundreds of Israelis over the past five years will be allowed into Israel."
Mr Mashal, a former physics teacher considered by Israel to be the director of Hamas's terrorist arm, escaped an assassination attempt by Mossad agents in Jordan in 1997. He retains a hardline stance against Israel, and his potential return to help steer his victorious organisation is likely to further enrage Israeli authorities.
Ehud Olmert, Israel's acting Prime Minister, last night repeated that Israel would not negotiate with an administration that included a terrorist organisation. He demanded that the Palestinian Authority act on a pre-election promise to disarm militant groups. "Israel will demand that the entire international community compel the PA and its chairman to implement the commitment to eliminate Hamas as a terrorist organisation that calls for Israel's destruction," the government announced following three hours of talks last night.