After years of internal discussion and external criticism, it could, just possibly be the moment that Hamas began to come in from the cold.

The Palestinian armed group has finally 'modernised' its position and, compromising with Israel's existence, dropped its historic call for the destruction of the Jewish state, while distancing itself from the Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood.

The move inspires comparisons to Sinn Fein leading the Irish nationalist movement away from the armed struggle and into talks and then government.

In a new policy document leaked to the press in Lebanon and other Arab states, Hamas crucially distinguishes between 'the Jews' and 'the Zionists who occupy Palestine'.

The new document states: 'Hamas affirms that its conflict is with the Zionist project not with the Jews because of their religion. Hamas does not wage a struggle against the Jews because they are Jewish but wages a struggle against the Zionists who occupy Palestine. Yet, it is the Zionists who constantly identify Judaism and the Jews with their own colonial project and illegal entity.'

Perhaps more significantly still, after years of war with Israel, Hamas says it will agree to a Palestinian state along borders agreed in 1967, when Israel defeated Arab states and captured and occupied Gaza, where Hamas currently rules, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The document states that Hamas 'considers the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital along the lines of 4 June 1967, with the return of the refugees and the displaced to their homes from which they were expelled, to be a formula of national consensus'.

By falling into line over a future state encompassing Gaza – from which Israel withdrew in 2005 – along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem along 1967 borders, Hamas is aligning itself with the goal of Fatah, its main political rival.

The development comes ahead of a meeting between Donald Trump and the Palestinian president and leader of the mainstream Fatah movement, Mahmoud Abbas, and amid reports that Trump will visit the region later this month. Reports in the region say that the new formulae have been pushed out in time for that meeting.

Unlikely as his prospects may seem, Trump is trying to jump-start the dormant Middle East peace process with the help of other Arab states including Egypt.

And by distancing from the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas appears to be aiming for improved relations with the West, Gulf Arab states and Egypt, which label the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation.

Gulf Arab sources told the Reuters news agency that the revised political document will still reject Israel's right to exist while backing 'armed struggle' against the state. It is this stance that has led many Western countries to classify Hamas, too, as a 'terrorist' organisation.

However, the recognition of the 1967 borders indicates the acceptance by Hamas of another entity alongside Palestine, even if it is not explicitly recognised as Israel, and it is worth remembering that Sinn Fein never gave up its commitment to a united Ireland despite being brought in from the cold.

Nor, incidentally, has the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party Likud abandoned its foundational commitment to a state of Israel that runs 'from the river to the sea'. Likud demands that 'the Jordan Valley and the territories that dominate it shall be under Israeli sovereignty. The Jordan river will be the permanent eastern border of the State of Israel,' and seeks to 'extend Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration over the Golan Heights, thus establishing Israeli sovereignty over the area' and to 'continue to strengthen Jewish settlement on the Golan'.

Predictably, Israel has dismissed the Hamas move, with David Keyes, a spokesman for Netanyahu, saying that Hamas was 'attempting to fool the world' and 'will not succeed'. He added said: 'They dig terror tunnels and have launched thousands upon thousands of missiles at Israeli civilians. This is the real Hamas.'

And it is of course a fact that Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2007 and has carried out hundreds of armed attacks in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories since it was founded three decades ago. Who started those wars however, is open to debate.

The key area that remains unclear is whether the document replaces the part of Hamas's 1988 charter, which calls for Israel's destruction. There were mixed report on the question today, and Hamas has yet to comment publicly.

The nuanced position was set out by the head of the movement's political bureau, Khaled Mashal, at a press conference in Doha. 'Hamas advocates the liberation of all of Palestine but is ready to support the state on 1967 borders without recognising Israel or ceding any rights,' he said.

Christian Today understands that Tony Blair, the UN Quartet's former Middle East envoy, has been involved in discussions with Hamas which led to the move. The former prime minister, who retains a strong interest in pushing for peace in the region, has several times met with Mashal in recent months.

One key question that remains is whether Hamas could fall in line with the Arab peace initiative, which would recognise Israel if Israel agreed to the 1967 borders.

But for now, it should be accepted that Hamas, which is not a monolithic organisation, has toned down its rhetoric, including its anti-Semitic ravings, and after years of wars with Israel inched towards recognising the Jewish state.

For by accepting the 1967 borders if not the existence of Israel itself, Hamas is effectively accepting that in any future agreement, a Palestinian state would be based on just 22 per cent of historic Palestine.

And with fresh talks potentially around the corner, with Trump planning to visit the region on May 21, that is a significant step which may, just possibly, help pave the way for peace.