Fatah official: Israel, Hamas in direct talks
A Fatah official has confirmed claims by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about Israel and Hamas holding direct talks, claiming that the two sides are engaged in security cooperation.
In an interview on Egyptian television Nov. 29, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had a surprise: Israel and Hamas, he related, were engaged in direct contact. When asked for additional details about this astounding revelation, Abbas would only say that the parties were talking directly with each other, and have even reached certain understandings.
Hamas immediately denied the claim. Senior Gaza-based Hamas official Ismail Radwan flatly rejected the assertion, alleging that the president of the Palestinian Authority was spreading false propaganda.
Another senior member of the organization, Mousa Abu Marzouk, quickly posted on his Facebook page: “Negotiating with Israel, especially having direct contact with it, stands in total contradiction of the movement’s ideology, principles and convention.”
Ismail Haniyeh, deputy chief of Hamas’ political bureau, has been very careful in recent speeches to note that the organization will not recognize Israel. His words to that effect were even set to music, becoming a smash hit in Gaza.
