Gaza – Ma'an – Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum on Friday denied that the Islamic movement was negotiating with Israel.

President Mahmoud Abbas told BBC on Thursday that Hamas was participating in talks with Israel over the establishment of a Palestinian state with temporary borders.

But Barhoum insisted that Abbas' remarks were "an attempt to harm the movement's credibility, which has gained international sympathy by holding strong to its principles and defending Palestinians."

In an interview with Ma'an, the Hamas spokesman added that "any negotiations with the [Israeli] occupation would give it legitimacy over our land, people and holy sites, and cover up its crimes ... Hamas does not negotiate with the occupation."

Concerning elections, Barhoum said there could be no talks without a reconciliation agreement. "Any elections held on Abbas' terms would amount to bypassing the Palestinian national agreement and Cairo dialogue."

Israel's Channel 10 newscast rebroadcast quotes from Abbas' interview on Thursday night, which followed reports that Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Defense Minister Ehud Barak were working on a two-stage peace plan that would see temporary borders in phase one, with a gradual Israeli pull-out.

The second phase would see the establishment of permanent Palestinian borders in exchange for an explicit recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, the Hebrew-language newspaper Ma'ariv reported.

The Ma'ariv report added that Palestinian officials were being briefed on the plan by mediators in Washington. According to the latest Channel 10 report, those officials were Hamas representatives.