MIDEAST . . . NEW HAMAS TALKS OFFER SPURNED BY RABIN

Two leaders of Hamas -- the militant Islamic group opposed to the Israeli-PLO accord and responsible forthree serious attacks on Israelislast month -- today said they wanted to open a dialogue with the Jewish state. But Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin immediately snubbed the first-ever offer, calling Hamas "the enemy of peace" and saying that the only way to deal with the group "is to wage a war of annihilation against it." The two leaders, both moderate clerics, said they were responding to a recent request for talks by Israeli Police Minister Moshe Shahal. TIME Jerusalem Bureau ChiefLisa Beyersays Israel sees no point in dealing with the radical half of Hamas, which calls for the total destruction of Israel. But, she adds, "there's a growing movement within Israeli circles" to negotiate with moderates, who have only demanded full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza. As for the P.M.: "Rabin said he'd never talk to the PLO, and he did," Beyer says.Post your opinion on theInternationalbulletin board.