Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has extended the deadline for Hamas to accept a draft that implicitly accepts a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian dispute until Friday. The original deadline for Hamas to accept the new draft was Tuesday. If Hamas fails to accept the statement, Abbas says he will bring it to a national referendum.
The extension was granted by Abbas after other Palestinian officials pressured him to give Hamas more time. Hamas had sought to amend the 18-point document, but Abbas said the statement cannot be changed or it will lose its effectiveness.
The plan was written by prisoners from both Fatah and Hamas serving time in Israeli jails for terrorist activities. Although Hamas prisoners were involved in drafting the plan, the leadership of the group has refused to endorse it.
The militant group Hamas won an overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories earlier this year. Hamas is dedicated to Israel's destruction and has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians in the past. Both the United States and European Union have Hamas on their list of terrorist organizations.
International aid to the Palestinian Authority has been cut off by the U.S. and E.U. as a result of Hamas' victory in the elections. The U.S. has stated that aid will be restored if Hamas recognizes Israel's right to exist, agrees to abandon terrorism and accepts the validity of all prior agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Thus far, Hamas has refused to meet any of the conditions.
The Palestinian Authority cannot meet payroll and take care of basic services without foreign aid. Most civil servants have not been paid in more than 60 days.
Abbas is hopeful that the plan will give him the political support to re-enter peace negotiations with Israel and make him politically relevant again. The peace process has stalled since Hamas was elected in January. Israel has said it would set final borders unilaterally and withdraw from most of the West Bank if no legitimate negotiating partner can be found.
Polls show that upwards of two-thirds of Palestinians support the text of the referendum and favor the re-opening of negotiations with Israel. Hamas fears embarrassment if the issue is brought before the voters and they endorse the plan.
Further negotiations between officials from Abbas' Fatah Party and Hamas are scheduled.
