Abbas gives Hamas 10 days to recognize Israel

[brooklynite]

(CNN) -- Palestinian rulers have been given 10 days to recognize Israel implicitly or face a territory-wide referendum on whether to accept the effective existence of the Jewish state.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged the Hamas-led government on Thursday to accept the national goal of establishing a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank alongside Israel.

He said time was short and told a conference of Palestinian leaders that he would call a referendum if there was no agreement between his Fatah Party and the ruling Hamas in 10 days.

Hamas, which has historically vowed to seek the destruction of Israel, won control of the Palestinian Authority from Abbas' Fatah movement in a surprise election win in January. The United States, the European Union and Israel consider Hamas a terrorist organization.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/25/palestinian.talks/index.html

[RebelDawg]

1. Could this be the start of

a Palestinian civil war?

[leesa]

2. Israel should be easy to recognize. They're the ones stealing your land

The ones you've been unsuccessfully fighting against for nearly 60 years.

[maddezmom]

3. locking

discussion here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x126156