A Hamas candidate to stand in the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections said on Sunday that the Islamic group is willing to negotiate with Israel in the future.

Sheikh Mohammed Abu Tir, second on Hamas' national list for the parliamentary elections set on Jan. 25, told Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper on its on-line website that "Hamas will negotiate with Israel."

Abu Tir said Hamas does not rule out future negotiations with Israel and Hamas has made great efforts to explain to Israel and to the world about its policy.

He said Hamas' decisions to stand in the parliamentary elections, the first of which in 1996 were boycotted by Hamas citing opposition to the Oslao Accords, and to remove from its election platform calls for Israel's destruction are not only tactical measures, but also represent a strategic shift of the group.

"In the past, it was said that we don't understand politics, only force, but we are a broad, well-grounded movement that is active in all areas of life. Now we are proving that we also understand politics better than the others," Abu Tir told the website.

Abu Tir, 55, from East Jerusalem neighborhood of Umm Tuba, does not have a high media profile but he is considered one of Hamas' most prominent individuals.

He was released from an Israeli prison six months ago, after spending most of the last 30 years either in administrative detention or serving sentences for directing activities of Hamas' military wing Iz al-Din al-Qassam.

Following his release, Abu Tir was put by the Hamas leadership on its candidate list for the elections, following the group's Gaza leader Ismaael Haneya.

"The use of the word muqawama (resistance in Arabic, used by Hamas and many other organizations to signify the armed struggle) in the platform does not necessarily refer to weapons and the use of force," Abu Tir said.

When asked whether Hamas would negotiate with Israel after the elections, he said, "We will not give Israel the justification and the legitimacy to occupy our lands."

However, he immediately added that "we are not saying 'never'. The question of negotiations will be presented to the new parliament and with every issue. When we reach the parliament, it will be discussed and decided in a rational manner."

Hamas put up a strong showing in the latest local Palestinian elections, and with a surging street popularity, is poised to present a tough challenge to the ruling Fatah movement led by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

However, Israeli cabinet approved on Sunday a proposal by acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert which barred Hamas from participating in the polls.

The proposal allows East Jerusalem Palestinians to vote in the elections in post offices, as in the 1996 legislative elections and the January 2005 presidential elections.