Fatah denies secret London talks with Israeli officials

By Momen Ghorab

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah group has denied reports about holding secret meetings with Israeli officials in London.

Foreign media reported that Israeli and Palestinian figures held secret meetings in London late last year in an effort to jumpstart the stalled peace talks between the two sides.

The talks were allegedly co-hosted by British-Israeli think tank BICOM with the Royal Institute for International Affairs, Chatham House.

In a statement, Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasmi called for “caution” before leveling any accusations against his group.

“The stances of the Palestinian leadership and President Abbas are firm,” he said, adding that Palestinian-Israeli talks have been stalled for years.

The statement came shortly after the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) accused the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority of “hiding” information about secret talks with Israeli officials in London late last year.

U.S.-sponsored peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel collapsed in 2014 over the latter’s refusal to halt settlement building in the Palestinian territories.