Abbas Extends Hamas’ Deadline

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas gave Hamas a few more days to recognize Israel or face the voters in a referendum on the issue.

Abbas, a moderate, has been pushing the Hamas-led government to accept a proposal that calls for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, implicitly recognizing the Jewish state. He believes the plan will help lift the economic pressure on 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 saying the group won’t give in to deadlines.

“We are giving enough time, about three days, for our brothers in Hamas to reconsider their position,” said Yasser Abed-Rabbo, a top official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, which Abbas also heads.

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

Abbas initially gave the militant Islamic group until Tuesday to accept the plan. Officials said unspecified Arab leaders requested the extension.

Although a referendum would be nonbinding, a vote could embarrass Hamas, putting public pressure on the group to moderate its ideology.

Hamas is struggling with a devastating international economic boycott and increasingly bloody tensions with security forces from Abbas’ Fatah faction.

A survey released Tuesday showed 77% of Palestinians would vote for the proposal. The survey of 1,200 Palestinians was conducted by Birzeit University in the West Bank.