It calls for a Palestinian state in the occupied territories and implicitly recognizes Israel. However, the ruling Hamas movement has rejected the referendum plan, and a member of the group who helped draft the document withdrew his name on Sunday.

So, just how did this much disputed so-called Prisoners’ Document come about? CRI Jerusalem correspondent Liao Jibo has more.

Located on a major highway, deep inside Israel, Haderim Prison stands behind a thick barbed fence.

What makes this prison different is that Marwan Brlghuti, one of the most popular Palestinian politicians, is jailed here, serving five life sentences. And it was here that the so-called "Prisoners’ Document" was born.

Saeb Nimr, a senior assistant to Marwan Brlghuti, is one of the few people who has been involved in the drafting of the document from the very beginning.

He says the prisoners first came up with the idea after Hamas won the parliamentary elections in January and the internal conflicts in the Palestinian areas began to heat up.

Barghuti started working on the document, and had a draft completed by early April. Making full use of the two hours they got for exercise each morning and afternoon, Barghuti, who is a Fatah leader, discussed the draft with leaders of other groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The problem now was how to deliver the draft to the Palestinian leadership. Orit Steaser, a spokeswoman for the Prison Service in Israel, told us there was no way that any paper could be sent out of the prison.

In fact, that was how the 18-point document was delivered out of Haderim Prison.

Saeb Nimr was himself jailed by Israel for 8 years. He says Palestinian prisoners are also divided into different factions, and different groups deal with their own people, but - unlike the outside world - they don't have so many conflicts in prison.

In order to make boring prison life easier, and to make full use of their time, all the factions organize studies for their members. The better educated prisoners act as tutors to the others.

In addition, the Palestinian authority pays a salary to the prisoners every month. For some young Palestinians who don't have money for school and can't find a job, prison is not necessarily such a bad place. 26 year old Osama is among those caught "causing trouble" at an Israeli military checkpoint.

"There is no differnce between a prison and Palestine. So I went to a checkpoint. The soldiers asked me to go, I didn’t move. When they asked to me stay, I ran away. Then they threw me into a prison."

Osama also says the different factions in prisons get along well with each other, and he suggests that if those outside learnt from them, there would not be so much lawlessness in the Palestinian areas.

Liao Jibo, CRI News, Jerusalem.