Shanab participated in the 2002 and 2003 peace talks as a Hamas representative.

"We don't believe in '67 or '48 - it's all our land," said the Hamas representative, a burly 26-year-old.

"You're an American taxpayer," the Hamas representative said to an American reporter.

But, he said, Hamas representatives had told him that they had nothing to do with the boys' attempt to attack the Israeli settlement.

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, claimed that the airstrike also killed Jabari's son.

Instead, when asked about making peace with Israel, Hamas representatives offered nuanced, if evasive, answers.

Demonstrations took place with the participation of Hamas representative in Yemen, Abdul-Muti Zaqqout.

In 1998, Hamdan was appointed as Hamas representative in Lebanon, a post he still holds.

After that election, Hamas representatives rejected my efforts to have them accept Mr. Arafat as their political leader, and they continue to act independently.

Today he met again in Gaza with Hamas representatives to set ground rules for future demonstrations.