Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin has been holding dialogues with influential Palestinians “of all political camps” in the administered territories, the Defense Ministry confirmed Monday.
His intention is to try to improve the atmosphere with residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip while continuing to employ tough measures against the Palestinian uprising, now in its seventh month.
The Palestine Liberation Organization has urged Palestinian political figures to boycott such talks, but has not been able to prevent them.
The defense minister’s strategy was questioned at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting by Housing Minister David Levy of Likud. This followed reports that one of Rabin’s interlocutors was an author of the PLO’s notorious Covenant.
The Covenant, drafted when the PLO was founded in 1964, calls for the destruction of Israel by armed struggle. Even Israelis who support negotiations with the PLO demand the Covenant be rescinded as a pre-condition for talks.
The author, one of four Palestinians with whom Rabin reportedly met this month, was not identified. According to one source, he is a well-known figure in the Gaza Strip.
The Defense Ministry has justified keeping these people anonymous for their own safety. The ministry said names would be disclosed only with the approval of the people involved.
Ministry sources said Rabin will continue and intensify his conversations with Palestinians this week before he leaves on a trip abroad.
Yediot Achronot reported Monday that one prominent Palestinian had turned down Rabin’s invitation to talk. He was identified as Hilmi Hanoun, the elderly mayor of Tulkarm, a town in the West Bank.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
