Colin Powell calls on international community to negotiate with Hamas

21 July 2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an – Colin Powell, the former US Secretary of State, has called on the international community to open dialogue with the Hamas movement.

According to Israeli radio, he stated: "Hamas is controlling the situation in the Gaza Strip. There are no signs that the Hamas movement will vanish, and it's getting huge support from the Palestinian public."

Powell is a widely respected former General, who famously presented the case for the invasion of Iraq to the United Nations Security Council, giving detailed allegations over Saddam Hussein's "weapons of mass destruction". It is likely that his statements will cause a stir in US diplomatic circles.