Mamoun Abushahla

Certainly this is a step in the right direction.

But I don't expect everything to change on the first day.

MEET THE PANEL Name: Mamoun Abushahla Age: 63 Lives: Gaza City Works: International businessman

I have been speaking to people who have direct contact with the leadership of Hamas.

Hamas are not ready at all to be humiliated by immediately recognising Israel. I believe this will take time.

They have a lot of conditions. If we recognise Israel as a state, is Israel ready to accept a Palestinian state?

This is one of the aspects where they are, let us say, negotiating.

LIFE IN GAZA Fathi Tobail Mona Yousef Mamoun Abushahla Majeda al-Saqqa

If there is a genuine interest in Israel in reaching a genuine settlement, then Hamas will recognise Israel.

In my opinion Israel doesn't want a real peace.

Israel doesn't accept a Palestinian state, it doesn't want to withdraw from most of the areas occupied in 1967. Israel denies Palestinians the right to their own contact with the rest of the world, by controlling ports and airports.

Am I optimistic the government will last?

If Israel continues to close our borders and to bombard us, the government cannot live.

The other problem is internal. There are militias all over Gaza and the West Bank. They are not easy to control. There is always the fear of civil war.

The government will be prepared to control them if there are assurances from the international community that peace is coming.

Otherwise, the government will want to keep the militias as part of the fight against Israel.