Hamas could one day amend a charter calling for the destruction of Israel and could hold negotiations with the Jewish state, a political leader of the Islamic militant group in the West Bank said.‘‘The charter is not the Koran,’’ Mohammed Ghazal said. ‘‘Historically, we believe all Palestine belongs to Palestinians, but we’re talking now about reality . The realities are different.’’ While the unprecedented comments clash with pronouncements of other Hamas officials, they reflect an apparent shift in Hamas towards the political mainstream and to winning greater world acceptance after Israel’s pullout from the Gaza Strip and in the run-up to Palestinian parliamentary elections.Ghazal said any Hamas talks with Israel would still depend on its withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as a ‘‘right of return’’ for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. He, however, acknowledged a ‘‘strong belief’’ that those conditions were never likely to be met.‘‘The Israelis should reach that stage when they feel they should negotiate with us and at that time I don’t think there will be a problem of negotiating with the Israelis,’’ said Ghazal, long known as a relative moderate. ‘‘The idea of negotiating is not something problematic and is not a dogma,’’ he said at an-Najah University, where he teaches engineering. —ReutersIsrael to make UNSC bidUNITED NATIONS: Encouraged by its growing contacts with Arab and Muslim nations, Israel announced plans to contest for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Speaking to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said Israel’s contacts with Arab and Muslim states are growing at a rate never seen before. He especially mentioned Pakistan among the countries which are now ‘‘extending their hand in friendship and recognition’’ to his country. ‘‘These meetings have been open and friendly as befits meetings between countries which have no conflict—neither over territory or economy,’’ he added. PTI
