Abbas Urges Hamas To Back 2-State Plan
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas on Thursday to endorse the creation of a Palestinian state on territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. If the radical Islamic movement refuses, he said, he will put the proposal to a referendum within two months. Abbas gave leaders of Hamas, the principal political rival of his Fatah movement, 10 days to accept a two-state solution to the conflict with Israel, something the group has rejected since its founding nearly two decades ago. Hamas envisions the creation of a Palestinian state across territory that now includes Israel. Full Story