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.