Abbas to call national referendum if no agreement with Hamas in 10 days

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he will call a national referendum on accepting a Palestinian state alongside Israel if Hamas does not agree to the idea within 10 days.

Abbas' surprise announcement was a political gamble that could either help resolve the Palestinians' internal deadlock or lead them into a deeper crisis with the militant Hamas group.

Such a vote would effectively ask Palestinians to give implicit recognition to Israel by accepting a Palestinian state on land occupied by Israel in 1967. Approval of the 18-point plan would provide a way out of the impasse over acceptance of Israel, which has led to an international freeze on aid to the Hamas-led government.

Hamas officials were divided over the idea of a referendum, with several giving their blessing, but others dismissing it as an attempt to undercut the Hamas-led government.

A referendum, which Palestinian pollsters expect to pass, could provide cover for the militants to moderate without appearing to succumb to Western pressure. Such a vote could also renew pressure on Israel to return to the negotiating table rather than imposing borders on the Palestinians.

However, Amar Duaik, director of the Palestinian election commission, said calling a referendum might not be easy. He said the parliament would have to pass a referendum law or Abbas would have to issue a presidential decree.

"If there is no agreement (between Hamas and Fatah), I expect to have troubles and differences," Duaik said.

In Gaza, meanwhile, violence erupted again between Fatah and Hamas forces. A police officer was killed in the shootout in Gaza City, and the two sides blamed each other for starting it.

In the past week, 10 people have been killed in the Hamas-Fatah clashes, leading to concerns of a civil war. The talks in Ramallah were designed to defuse the crisis.

Abbas' proposal came as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert returned from a trip to Washington, where he presented President Bush with a West Bank pullout plan. Olmert said if there is no breakthrough in long-stalled peace efforts in the coming months, Israel would withdraw from much of the West Bank, solidify its control of large settlement blocs and unilaterally draw its border with the Palestinians.

The Palestinians reject Olmert's unilateral plan, and Abbas' announcement Thursday appeared part of a hurried effort to show the world there is a willing Palestinian partner for negotiations with Israel.