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Source: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2481
Abbas, Hamas, and the Referendum Trap
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Mohammad Yaghi - Mahmoud Abbas' pursuit of a referendum has been widely interpreted as a power play designed to circumvent the Hamas-led government and force it to implicitly accept Israel's existence. But the actual text of the document to be voted on more closely resembles the political program of Hamas than that of Abbas. Abbas' call for a referendum was intended to exert pressure on Hamas, but it has only handcuffed his negotiating ability and forced him to retreat from several of his prior positions. Conversely, Hamas has benefited from its refusal to sign on to the document as written. Hamas has also legalized its new militia in Gaza. Moreover, by initially rejecting the document but then accepting it as the basis for dialogue, Hamas gained public support as the faction willing to make concessions for the sake of national unity.