In an interview with Paul Martin, editor-in-chief of ConflictZones.tv, Moussa Abu Marzook, deputy politburo leader of Hamas and a strong contender to replace outgoing chairman Khaled Meshaal, says: “It is not useful for us to negotiate [with Israel] at this time. Negotiations, they have two conditions: the first condition, to be equal; the second condition” to be strong enough to prevent Israel doing anything unacceptable to the Palestinians.

Marzook also says that there will be no solution to the Palestinian problem until the Arab states resolve their own economic, political, and security problems. Only once having addressed these problems can Arabs be united and help each other. “We can talk about a new Palestine after we see all of those countries solve their problems.”