(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Speaking at a conference in Doha on Islamists and democracy, Mashaal said Hamas' experience as an Islamist political party was unique as it was foremost a national liberation movement.
There can be no genuine Palestinian authority as Palestinians are dispersed and the territory is under foreign occupation, the Hamas chief said the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
Mashaal said Hamas entered the political arena and joined the Palestinian Authority in 2006 partly to try and correct the mistakes of the Oslo peace process, a statement from ACRPS said.
He acknowledged that the party had struggled to reconcile its transition to government with its role as a resistance movement.
"Islamists must admit that being in government is much more complicated than what they had imagined; this applies to Hamas as well," he said.
Mashaal said Hamas would remain a resistance movement and had learned from its mistakes.
He called on all Arab political forces, including political Islamist movements, to establish a strong model of democracy.
The European model of democracy, in which the majority party runs the government and the minority parties form an opposition, is not adequate for Arab needs, Mashaal said.
He said the Israeli practice of forming broad coalition governments from across the political spectrum allowed all political sides to contribute.
Mashaal said Hamas would not exclude any party.
"Islamists, no matter how greater their power, cannot exclude others. Thus, there (should be) no reason for nationalists, liberals, or others to worry over the possibility that they will be left out."
Mashaal urged Arab leaders to balance domestic concerns and regional priorities. He offered Egypt as an example, and said the new government in Cairo could not isolate itself from the question of Palestine.
Arab governments should consider popular pressure as a source of strength to allow them to deal more effectively with international powers, he said.
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