Hamas, Fatah Reach Agreement on Implicitly Recognizing Israel
27 June 2006
Palestinian officials say the rival factions Hamas and Fatah have reached agreement on a plan that implicitly recognizes Israel.
The agreement ends weeks of tense negotiations between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.
Details of the agreement are unclear and some smaller Palestinian factions may still object to the deal. A formal announcement is expected later Tuesday.
Hamas has previously refused to recognize Israel.
The new agreement, written by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, is reported to call for a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
The agreement comes as Israeli troops mass along the Gaza Strip border, following the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.
A Palestinian militant group which claimed responsibility for the abduction says it has also kidnapped a Jewish settler in the West Bank.
Palestinian political officials have denounced the kidnapping.
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