Israel has lifted its ban on diplomatic ties between Israeli diplomats abroad and their Palestinian counterparts.
Ha’aretz reported Tuesday that Israel’s Foreign Ministry published new guidelines last week allowing such meetings. Israeli officials had been banned from holding talks with Palestinian diplomats ever since the establishment of the Hamas government in the Palestinian Authority.
The change resulted from Hamas’ dismissal from the Palestinian Authority following the Islamic group’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last month. The new regulations are in line with the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s policy of widening ties with officials from Fatah, which now controls the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority has 107 diplomatic offices around the world.
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