Intiative Forces Palestinian Debate on Recognizing Israel
JERUSALEM, May 11 — Imprisoned members of the Fatah and Hamas factions have drafted a joint platform that calls for a Palestinian state within the 1967 boundaries alongside Israel, according to the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, who supported the idea, saying: “I adopt the position of those heroes.”
The draft platform also says that Palestinians should “focus their resistance on lands occupied in 1967″ - in other words, stop attacking Israelis inside the 1967 boundaries, but continue to attack those in the occupied West Bank.
But the draft platform was immediately rejected today by a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Mushir al-Masri, who said the united Hamas platform is clear, and “we would not recognize agreements that include recognition of Israel.” CONTINUE
