Mofaz also said that Hamas must erase from its charter the call to destroy Israel.
The Likud issued a statement in response, saying, "It would be better if the Defense Minister would concentrate on his job of preventing Kassam rockets against the residents of Sderot and the western Negev, instead of looking for conditions and ways to certify murderous terrorist organizations."
Mofaz recently ran for head of the Likud Party, but abruptly left the party in mid-campaign to join Kadima. He had said just two days before that he would not leave the Likud and that it was his home.
Middle East expert Dr. David Bukai of Haifa University dismissed Mofaz's statements about Hamas out of hand. Speaking with Arutz-7's Hebrew newsmagazine, Dr. Bukai said, "One of the jokes that we hear on the media is that there won't be any alternative other than speaking with Hamas. But the question is, What will we talk about? Hamas wants what Arafat wanted, and that is the liquidation of Israel. The difference between them is only the methodology... Hamas has an ideological religious conception regarding the implementation of Islamic values, and is not interested or able to change."
Hamas recently revealed its election slogan: "We're Continuing the Fight."
"The Arab world does not have democracy," Dr. Bukai said, "and will not have. This is one of the great tragedies - that the U.S. is trying to implement democracy in Iraq. Even in the Palestinian Authority there is no democracy - just total anarchy. The stronger elements do what they want, and Abu Mazen has remained a clerk of Arafat; the U.S. is depending on him, but he doesn't want to do anything, nor can he."
"What angers me," Dr. Bukai added, "is that we are facing a terrible terrorist war against us, with suicide missions. I foresee a very difficult situation in February and March, and maybe even before that. But no one opens his mouth and says that this is because of the disengagement and the insane and criminal panicky retreat. It's clear that in the Middle East, when you run away, they run after you and hit you even harder."