Erekat considers referendum as only way to end Palestinians' dispute

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Thursday that the referendum is necessary for an end to internal struggles and disputes among Palestinian factions.

"Now we have an authority with two policies, this causes boycott and isolation for us, so we have to resort to referendum to end it," Erekat told the local radio Voice of Palestine on Thursday.

He also slammed Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri for his statements against Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee who has been insisting on holding the referendum.

On Wednesday, Abu Zuhri attacked Abed Rabbo, saying the people who support the referendum want to topple the Hamas-led government and disrespect the results of parliamentary elections.

Responding to Abu Zuhri's accusation, Erekat said that "we were hoping to agree on the articles of the prisoners' document and avoid the referendum, but unfortunately, there were other considerations forced us insisting on putting the document before the people to decide about."

At the opening session of national dialogue held on May 25, Abbas said that he would order a referendum if the inter- Palestinian dialogue fails to adopt the National Accordance filed by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The prisoners' document calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the territories that were occupied by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, which contradicts Hamas charter calling for destruction of Israel.

As the dialogue failed to reach agreement on the prisoner's document on the deadline, Abbas gave three-day extension to the dialogue on Tuesday.

Abbas is expected to issue a presidential decree on Saturday after the extension expires on Friday.

Source: Xinhua