The supremo of Palestinian radical group Hamas vowed to continue armed struggle against Israel and declared that the Palestinian Authority had accomplished nothing by recognising the Jewish state."The demand that Hamas and the resistance movements lay down their weapons and become political parties is unrealistic and has nothing to do with the Palestinian reality on the ground," said Meshaal in an interview broadcast on Dubai-based Arab news channel Al-Arabiya after the end of his landmark visit to Moscow Sunday.
"This is why we are determined to hold on to our choices which are resisting and defending our people with the modest arms that we have while opting for peaceful politics to reorganise the internal Palestinian order."
Meshaal made clear his group, which has carried out dozens of attacks against Israel, had no plans to compromise its militancy in the face of diplomatic pressure.
"We told Russian officials and we tell the whole world now, the solution is not in recognising Israel, it is in ending the occupation," said the Damascus-based Meshaal.
"How can we the victims recognise the jailer, the killer and the occupier and did those that recognised Israel in the past accomplish anything? Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority recognised it and the result was that nothing changed."
Later in Damascus, Meshaal sounded a more flexible tone concerning Israel.
"We want to treat this (new) situation with a new spirit," he said, addressing a conference of Arab political parties.
"We want to prevent the spilling of blood.
"If Israel declares war on us, we are ready for war with this country. If they want peace, they must leave the occupied Palestinian territories."
Hamas has given numerous statements in recent weeks on its intentions toward Israel. But its statements vary from aggressive militancy to a more reasoned approach as the group prepares to take the government's reins of power.
French President Jacques Chirac reiterated on Monday during a three-day visit to Riyadh demands made by the Quartet -- grouping the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- that Hamas must renounce violence and recognise Israel's right to exist.
Hamas, which scored a shock victory in January's legislative elections, is in the process of forming a new Palestinian government.
Meshaal, who was also interviewed by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera, was asked about Russian pressure on Hamas to respect the Quartet's roadmap for a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict.
"How can Hamas be asked to adopt an initiative that was abandoned by its sponsors and that does not exist any more. What we have now is a unilateral disengagement plan," he told Al-Jazeera.
He said the roadmap died last summer when the US administration agreed to Israel's unilateral pullout from the Gaza Strip. Meshaal warned that Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was set to repeat the feat in the West Bank.
Olmert has pledged not to have any dealings with a Hamas-led government and a top official in his Kadima party running in the March 28 Israeli elections said if the party wins, Israel will carry out more unilateral withdrawals in the West Bank.
As for a ceasefire with Israel, Meshaal said he told the Russians that Hamas had no desire to commit to an extension of its year- old ceasefire unless similar international pressure was exerted on Israel.
Meshaal demanded Israel stop its assassination of militants and release an estimated 9,000 Palestinians prisoners.