Exiled Hamas leader says group will not recognize Israel

Hamas has no plans to recognize Israel but wants to join a national unity government with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' moderate Fatah faction, the group's exiled political leader said late Thursday.

"Hamas will not surrender... and will not recognize Israel," Khaled Mashaal said at a news conference in Damascus, where he lives in exile. "But Hamas does not want to be in power alone," he said. "The real solution is the formation of a national unity government based on Palestinian principles." (AP)