Hamas operative in the West Bank (Archives)
Photo: AP
Report: Hamas, Israeli officials meet in Netanya
London-based Arabic newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper says ex Hamas Minister Omar Abdel Razek met with Israeli officials this week. Razek dismisses report as 'untrue'
London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Saturday that former Hamas Finance Minister Omar Abdel Razek, met with Israeli officials in Netanya, earlier this week.
Palestinian sources told the newspaper that a secret meeting was held between Israeli and Hamas representatives, but gave no reason for it.
Other Palestinian sources linked the meeting with the recent call by Hamas leaders in Damascus to their operatives in the West Bank, to kidnap Israeli settlers in order to aid in the release of Palestinian prisoners. The sources hedged that the meeting was meant to warn Hamas of the ramifications, via Razek.
The latter denied the report, saying that the information "was completely untrue and baseless. We are forbidden from entering the 1948 territories. We refuse to meet with any Israelis – even their reporters," he said.
The newspaper alleged that Razek was driven clandestinely to Netanya from the village of Beit Iba, near the West Bank city of Nablus, and wad returned there afterwards.
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