Despite boycott of US, PA intelligence chief met Pompeo in Washington — report
Majed Faraj said to have discussed Abbas’s health during meeting with then-CIA director, days before he became secretary of state
Michael Bachner is a news editor at The Times of Israel
Despite an official boycott by the Palestinian Authority of Washington following US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a senior PA official reportedly met with Mike Pompeo last month, days before he was sworn in as US secretary of state.
The meeting in Washington between then-CIA director Pompeo and Majed Faraj, head of the PA’s General Intelligence Service, was known to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and to a small number of high ranking officials, Haaretz on Monday quoted senior Palestinian officials as saying.
It would be the highest-level contact between the PA and the US in over six months.
The Palestinians strongly objected to the US decision on Jerusalem and the subsequent relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the capital earlier this month. The Palestinians believe the US move undercuts their claim to parts of Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
Abbas froze ties with the Americans after Trump announced the move in December.
Haaretz first mentioned the Faraj-Pompeo meeting several weeks ago, but on Monday published further details.
One of the cited sources said that while the boycott still stands on diplomatic issues, security discussions are being held on issues with ramifications extending beyond Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Some of the subjects said to have been discussed were the Palestinian National Council meeting in Ramallah and Abbas’s deteriorating health, a possible indication of Washington’s will to ensure stability once the PA leader is no longer in power.
Abbas, 83, was released from a hospital in Ramallah on Monday where he had been treated for pneumonia for over a week amid burgeoning rumors of his deteriorating medical condition.
Faraj, one of the Abbas’s closest associates, is considered a friend of Pompeo, and the two reportedly met last year, after Trump was sworn in as president.
The US State Department declined to comment on Monday’s report.
The US has denied prejudicing the final status of Jerusalem. But the standoff with the Palestinians has complicated US plans to unveil a proposal for Israeli-Palestinian peace. US officials have not said when the plan will be unveiled.
Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
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