Hamas Rejects Deadline To Confirm Israel’s Right To Exist
That’s what this amounts to:
The Hamas-led Palestinian government has rejected the 10-day deadline set by President Mahmoud Abbas to accept a plan for a Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel, according to the prime minister’s office.
A representative for Palestinian Prime Minister’s Ismail Haniya’s office said Hamas, however, is open to a dialogue to reach a national consensus on issues facing Palestinians.
Abbas, a member of the Fatah party, on Thursday gave his rivals 10 days to accept a plan that calls for the areas captured by Israel in the 1967 war — including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem — to compose the Palestinian state.
Remember, the plan Abbas is asking for agreement on is the most lenient the Palestinians could hope for, short of the complete destruction of Israel. It includes such non-starters as the right to return and withdrawal to pre-1967 borders, both provisions the Israelis would likely reject outright.
Yet even given these broad parameters, Hamas refuses to commit, instead issuing vague promises of willingess to discuss matters. Abbas knew exectly what he was doing when he issued this deadline – he was showing the world that only a Fatah-led Palestinian government can even get the parties to the negotiating table…it’s safe to say he’s been successful in conveying that message…
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