The Hamas movement presented a new political charter yesterday, in which it said it was prepared to accept - temporarily at least - a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Presenting the document, which aims to bring about an end to its international isolation, in the Qatari city of Doha, the radical movement still refused to recognise the state of Israel, but softened its language on the Jewish people.

The charter said Hamas would continue to fight "the Zionists" who occupied Palestine, "but the movement respects the Jews and has no problem with them or with other religions".

Hamas said it will carry on with its armed struggle against Israel, and it maintains its claim to all of historical Palestine and demands the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homeland.

Experts said Hamas, which governs in the Gaza Strip, was also attempting to reach out to neighbouring Egypt and its more moderate rival, the Fatah movement, which runs the West Bank and to which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas belongs.

A senior Hamas official also announced in Gaza yesterday that the movement has no "administrative or organisational relationship" with the worldwide Muslim Brotherhood, with which it was previously closely linked.

Egypt and Fatah have repeatedly asked Hamas to distance itself from the Brotherhood.

Khalil al-Hayyah, Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, told reporters that his movement is "a Palestinian national liberation movement that adopts moderate Islam".

The wording also appears in the new charter. Israel was not impressed with the changes to Hamas' charter.

"Hamas is attempting to fool the world, but it will not succeed," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson said.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union, among others.

In February, Hamas elected a hardliner, Yahya al-Sinwar, to run the organisation in Gaza. The amended Hamas charter, which Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal presented in Doha, consists of 41 provisions.

- dpa