Abbas aide: Hamas doesn't have to recognize Israel
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An aide to the Western-backed Palestinian president says international mediators should drop their demand that Gaza's militant Hamas rulers recognize Israel.
Nabil Shaath spoke just hours before President Mahmoud Abbas' West Bank government is to sign a reconciliation deal with Hamas, ending a four-year rift. A joint government is to follow. Hamas has long attacked Israel and condemns negotiations with it. (AP)
