House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce rejected a declaration by U.S. designated terrorist group Hamas that it planned to soften its stance toward Israel in a new policy manifesto expected Monday.
"Until Hamas recognizes Israel’s right to exist, its words are meaningless," Royce (R., Calif.) said in a statement. "I will see to it that Hamas remains designated a terrorist organization as long as it continues to launch rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, remains an Iranian proxy, and engages in other acts that threaten the U.S. and Israel."
Though the updated founding charter will drop calls for the destruction of Israel, it stops short of recognizing Israel's right to exist and encourages an armed resistance against the Jewish state.
Hamas, a Palestinian group that controls the Gaza strip, will also distance itself from Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood in an apparent attempt to improve relations with the West and Gulf Arab nations, Reuters reported.
Israel rejected the manifesto as a façade by Hamas to appear more moderate to the rest of the world.
"Hamas is attempting to fool the world but it will not succeed," David Keyes, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters. "They dig terror tunnels and have launched thousands upon thousands of missiles at Israeli civilians … This is the real Hamas."
The document is expected to be released ahead of a White House meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and President Donald Trump scheduled for Wednesday.
Trump has said he would support a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine in the Middle East if both parties agreed on a compromise.