Abbas to Hamas: 10 Days to OK Deal or Referendum in 40
PA President Mahmoud Abbas has given PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh an ultimatum: Accept a deal for borders within the ’67 line or the issue goes to a general referendum.
In what appears to be a major showdown between the two Palestinian Authority leaders, Abbas warned PA groups that he will send the “Prisoners’ Plan” for a peace agreement to a national referendum within 40 days if it is not accepted by the Hamas-led PA government.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=104293
Abbas May Call National Referendum
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1148482040028&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Israel to transfer arms to Abbas' forces
PM Olmert approves defense minister's recommendation to enable weapons' transfer to PA chairman's security forces
Meanwhile, after recovering from the initial shock of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' 10-day ultimatum Thursday, the Palestinian factions are beginning to contemplate his demand to present a set of principles accepting the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders as official PA policy.
The principles were drafted by jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, along with Hamas security prisoners serving with him in the Israeli jail Hadarim.Stunning the various factions, on Thursday during talks in Ramallah between the factions on the crisis situation in the PA, Abbas said that if, within 10 days, the Hamas-led government does not accept the prisoners’ plan for recognizing the '67 borders, he would pose the decision to the people in a national referendum within 40 days.
Senior Hamas members, such as Parliament Chairman Aziz Dawik, Parliament secretary general Dr. Mahmoud Ramahi and government spokesperson Razi Hamad announced that they accept the initiative. But other Hamas spokespeople objected the plan.
FULL STORY at