Former US President Jimmy Carter has said Hamas is prepared to accept the right of Israel to “live in peace” within the 1967 borders, but Carter said Hamas turned down his proposal for a thirty-day unilateral ceasefire with Israel. Carter’s comments came after he met with top Hamas leaders, including the group’s exiled political chief Khaled Meshal.

Carter said Hamas leaders would also accept a peace agreement negotiated by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, if Palestinians approved the deal in a vote. Carter met with Hamas in defiance of the US and Israel. He defended his decision by saying, “The problem is not that I met with Hamas in Syria. The problem is that Israel and the United States refuse to meet with someone who must be involved.” Carter urged Israel to engage in direct negotiations with Hamas, saying failure to do so was hampering peace efforts.