Palestinian presidency denies secret talks with Israel

Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh denied the presence of any secret talks with Israel. Abu Rudeineh stressed that “there were no secret talks with the government of Israel,” the state-run WAFA News Agency quoted him as saying Thursday. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported earlier that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have been maintaining a secret channel of talks for several years now. Attorney Yitzhak Molcho, Netanyahu's confidant, has been traveling to London from time to time and meeting with one of Abbas' associates. This back-channel diplomacy includes an exchange of messages and ideas and is aimed at solving problems troubling both sides, the Israeli newspaper said. The channel was highly significant during Netanyahu's previous term, when there were no official negotiations. Both Netanyahu and Abbas have kept the talks confidential in order to avoid political pressures, it added.