Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today extended a deadline for Hamas to accept a document that implicitly recognises Israel, averting a showdown with the Islamic movement.Abbas said he would give Hamas until Thursday to agree to the plan or face a national referendum. Abbas had initially given Hamas until Tuesday to respond to the ultimatum, but decided to give the group additional time after consulting with the powerful PLO executive committee.Abbas wants to hold the nonbinding vote to put pressure on the Hamas-led government to accept the plan, which calls for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, implying recognition of the Jewish state. Hamas, which is committed to Israel’s destruction, has demanded changes to the proposal and said it will boycott the referendum.During today’s meeting, the PLO Executive Committee endorsed the document and authorised Abbas to call his referendum, said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian official. He said Abbas will not accept any changes to the document. ‘‘President Abbas has informed the PLO leadership that he is going to prepare for the referendum by the end of the week and he will announce this at a press conference before the weekend,’’ Abed Rabbo said. —MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH
