Abbas backs away from Hamas-Israel confrontation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas put off an ultimatum to Hamas to accept a document that implies recognition of Israel, but he insisted that the Islamic militants, who head the Palestinian government, must accept the plan with no changes or face a referendum.

Abbas backed away from the brink of an open confrontation with Hamas yesterday, when he extended his deadline until the weekend.

The delay gave Hamas some breathing room as it struggles with a devastating international economic boycott and clashes with Abbas’ Fatah movement. But Hamas leaders insisted they won't cave in to deadlines.

Abbas has been pushing Hamas to accept a proposal that calls for a Palestinian state, implicitly recognising the Jewish state next to it. Abbas, a moderate, believes the plan will help lift the economic pressure on the Palestinians and allow him to pursue peace talks with Israel.

Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, has balked at the plan, demanding changes in the language and calling for more time to discuss it. Fatah says talks can continue, but Abbas will not accept amendments.

“President Abbas has informed the PLO leadership that he is going to prepare for the referendum by the end of the week,” said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a top PLO official. “We are giving enough time, about three days, for our brothers in Hamas to reconsider their position.”

A survey released yesterday showed 77% of Palestinians would vote in favour of the proposal. The survey of 1,200 Palestinians was conducted by Bir Zeit University in the West Bank and had a margin of error of three percentage points.

Abbas relented under pressure from several unnamed Arab leaders who feared a civil war, officials said. Yemen urged acceptance of the document and offered to host talks. Hamas accepted the invitation, but Abbas declined.

Israel opposes key elements of the 18-point document, but is staying on the sidelines during the internal Palestinian debate. The document calls for return of millions of Palestinians – refugees from the 1948-49 war that followed Israel’s creation and their descendants – to their original homes in Israel, a demand Israel has always categorically rejected.

Also, no Israeli government has offered to withdraw from all of the West Bank, offering at most alterations in the cease-fire line to accommodate Jewish settlements. Israel pulled out of Gaza last summer.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is making a series of trips abroad to discuss his plan to set Israel's border in the West Bank unilaterally if negotiations are impossible. Olmert has said he will meet Abbas soon but rules out talks with the Hamas-led government.

After visiting the US and Egypt, Olmert is to travel to Jordan tomorrow for talks with King Abdullah II, both countries said. A Jordanian official said the king would try to persuade Olmert to drop his unilateral plan.

The Palestinian political crisis is developing alongside violent clashes between the two rivals. Early today, a battle erupted between Hamas and Fatah forces in Gaza City. Hospital officials said one person was seriously wounded by gunfire.

The Palestinian document was formulated by senior Hamas and Fatah prisoners held by Israel. Prisoners hold great weight in Palestinian society. But Hamas’ exiled leadership, which has the final say in policy decisions, has refused to endorse the plan.

Hamas officials welcomed Abbas’ offer to extend their dialogue but repeated their opposition to deadlines or the referendum.