Abbas says Palestinians will vote on new state

Hamas wants to rule out a referendum.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Moderate President Mahmoud Abbas, defying the Hamas militants who run the government, said Saturday that Palestinians would vote next month on whether to establish a state alongside Israel, effectively recognizing the Jewish nation.
Hamas immediately rejected the notion of the July 26 referendum, which is expected to win a clear majority despite rising anger at Israel and increased infighting between the militants and Abbas' Fatah movement.
Hamas fighters battled Abbas loyalists in Gaza and fired rockets and mortars at Israel, ending a 16-month truce after an explosion blamed on Israeli shelling Friday killed eight people and wounded dozens at a seaside family picnic.
"We have to rule out the idea of a referendum," Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said.
Abbas said the vote could be called off if the sides reach agreement on the document, which was written by prominent Palestinian militants jailed by Israel and calls for a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
Implicit recognition
Establishing the state in those lands, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War, would be an implicit recognition of Israel.
Abbas denounced the deaths of the Gaza beachgoers but brushed off Hamas' call to put off the vote because of the renewed violence. He said accepting the referendum would help the Palestinians achieve their dream of statehood and end a debilitating international aid boycott imposed after Hamas' rise to power.
"When we reach an agreement over the prisoners' document, the siege will end," Abbas said.
Later, Abbas and Haniyeh met in Gaza along with Interior Minister Said Siyam, also of Hamas.
Palestinians will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" on the document, which polls show enjoys wide support among Palestinians, partly because of the clout of its authors. Accepting it could give Hamas, which is officially sworn to Israel's destruction, an avenue for moderating its ways.
So far the group has not budged from its refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept past peace accords. Israel and the international community require those steps before they will deal with the group.
New violence breaks out
Meanwhile, new violence erupted between gunmen loyal to the president and Hamas' militia before Abbas' announcement.
Gunmen shot and killed a 39-year-old Palestinian security officer in a botched kidnapping attempt, Palestinian Preventive Security officials said. The force, loyal to Abbas, accused Hamas of the killing and vowed to impose justice.
During the funeral procession, a gunbattle erupted between gunmen from Hamas and the Preventive Security force. The car of Gaza's top pro-Abbas general was caught in the crossfire, and he was rushed out of the area.
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