Top Palestinian official Saeb Erekat releases a statement denying a report from a day earlier that Ramallah and Israel have begun taking steps to ease tensions, which may lead to new peace talks.
The statement says that Erekat “denies reports in the Israeli press that describe a supposed agreement and the Palestinian resistance regarding stopping international [diplomatic] measures in return for a [settlement] building freeze.”
On Wednesday, The Times of Israel reported that in a series of secret meetings, Jerusalem had agreed to slow down settlement construction and the Palestinian Authority had put applications to join United Nations and other bodies on hold.
A senior official said that the steps, aimed at easing tensions, could lead to new peace talks and that a senior Israeli minister was set to meet a top Palestinian official abroad next week.
Erekat denied the secret meetings had taken place.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not commented on the report.
— Avi Issacharoff
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 16, 2015
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