…A referendum, with opinion polls suggesting most Palestinians support the proposal, would be seen as a confidence vote on the Hamas government, whose election led the West and Israel to cut off funds to the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas swept to power in January elections and has been locked in a power struggle with Abbas ever since. It rejects the proposal.

The manifesto implicitly recognizes Israel by calling for a Palestinian state on all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Abbas had set a Tuesday deadline for Hamas to embrace the manifesto but delayed a looming showdown after what officials said were appeals by Arab leaders.

Hamas, which seeks to destroy Israel, has said a referendum would be illegal so soon after the parliamentary elections.

Israel rejects the manifesto. It has long insisted on keeping large Jewish settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank.
news.yahoo.com

says who?

South African union joins boycott of Israel
Workers union representing 1.2 million extols CUPE OntarioÕs boycott of Israel, which it calls Ôan apartheid nation.Õ Union President Madisha: Atrocities committed against the Palestinians pale in comparison to those committed by the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa.

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