Mash’al Backpedals From Six-Month Ultimatum

Hamas leader-in-exile Khalid Mash’al has backed away from his threat to begin "the third Intifada" if there is no Palestinian state within six months. He had made his initial comments in Cairo on Saturday, but on Sunday, Mash’al told a program on state-controlled television that eight months to a year was okay, too. He said, "The most important thing is that the Palestinian people will not giveup their rights. They will not surrender and will carry on their struggle."