The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. June 26, 2009 Hamas Welcomes Obama’s “New Language,” Calls for Pressure on Israel ------------------------------------------------------------------- The Palestinian group Hamas has renewed its acceptance of a Palestinian state within the Occupied Territories but rejected Israel’s insistence to be recognized as a “Jewish state.” On Thursday, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal dismissed Israel’s demand as “racist” and compared it to Nazi ideology. Meshaal also welcomed what he called President Obama’s “new language” toward Hamas. But he called on Obama to take meaningful steps to end the Israeli occupation. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal: “What is demanded from the biggest states and the most important ones are actions and crucial positions and serious initiatives that return the rights to their owners and end the illegal occupation, not only speeches that show intentions and promises.” .