US reprimands Palestinians
Photo: AP
US to Palestinians: Don't attack Netanyahu
Senior US officials urge Palestinians to refrain from personal attacks on Bibi, PA official says
US officials are fed up with Palestinian attacks on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded that PA leaders restrain their statements, Ynet learned Tuesday.
The senior PA official who spoke of the US demand said that in recent days, clear messages had been conveyed to the Authority asking its leaders to maintain a low profile and completely avoid statements about the Israeli prime minister's personality and image.
Palestinian officials said the US comments referred to, among other things, an interview granted this month by senior Fatah figure Mohammad Dahlan. In the interview, Dahlan estimated that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians would not bear fruit, characterizing Netanyahu as a "liar" and saying he lacked credibility.
Peace Talks
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A short while after direct talks were launched in Washington, the American already became furious over the Palestinian failure to honor the US request to avoid leaks about the progress in negotiations.
Among other things, senior PA officials were asked to deny previous statements they made to the media regarding the prospects of success and the negotiation timetable.
However, at this time both American and Israeli officials are demanding that Palestinian leaders restrain their statements, arguing that such anti-Netanyahu declarations coupled with pessimistic messages undermine the current talks.
