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Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,198106,00.html
Hamas Rejects Abbas' Plan for Recognizing Israel
(AP/Fox News) Hamas rejected an ultimatum from PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to sign on to a referendum plan that would implicitly recognize Israel. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas rejected Abbas' Tuesday deadline and called the referendum proposal illegal, setting up a head-on political confrontation between Hamas and Fatah after days of tension on the streets that have set off some armed clashes. "The local basic law and the advice which we got from experts in international law say that referendums are not permitted on the Palestinian land," Haniyeh said. Much of the Hamas leadership in Gaza as well as leaders living in Lebanon and Syria believe that accepting the plan would weaken the movement by abandoning its founding principles.