Zionist Netanyahu, Puppet Abbas have secret channel of talks for years

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and de facto president Mahmoud Abbas have been maintaining a secret channel of talks for several years now, in contrast to what was propagated of freezing talks due to settlement construction, Israeli media sources revealed.

“Attorney Yitzhak Molcho, Netanyahu’s confidant, has been traveling to London from time to time and meeting with one of Abbas’ associates”, Yedioth Ahronoth Hebrew Newspaper revealed on Thursday.

According to the newspaper, “the channel was highly significant during Netanyahu’s previous term, when there were no official negotiations. Both Netanyahu and Abbas have kept the talks confidential in order to avoid political pressures.”

After the renewal of peace talks brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, the importance of the secret channel diminished, likely prompting Netanyahu to inform some of the Israelis and Americans involved in the talks about the back channel, the Hebrew newspaper added.

Yedioth revealed that Bassel Aqel, a Palestinian businessman living in London, may be Abbas’ representative to the secret talks. “Aqel is a close friend of the Palestinian president.

This estimate has no definite confirmation, but different sources have confirmed the existence of the channel, the identity of the Israeli representative (Molcho), the location (London) and the fact that the channel has been active since the previous government’s term.”

This channel of communication is aimed at solving daily problems on the ground, preparing the ground for a major diplomatic breakthrough, and creating an impression among those involved in the secret talks that there is an interest in making political progress while the formal negotiations are deadlocked, the sources added.