Israel has lodged a protest with the British Foreign Office over what it considers to be a change of policy favorable to the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Israeli officials arc furious over a March 1 meeting between Foreign Secretary Sir Douglas Hurd and Bassam Abu Sharif, a senior political adviser to PLO leader Yasir Arafat.
The meeting followed bestowal of the title “delegation” on the PLO office in London.
Ehud Olmert, a Likud Cabinet minister without portfolio, raised the issue at a meeting with William Waldegrave, minister of state at the Foreign Office.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews also has protested.
A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said, “It is regrettable that Britain has departed from its traditionally more prudent policy regarding the PLO.”
Citing evidence of PLO cross-border raids, terrorist acts and the murder of Palestinians alleged to have cooperated with Israel, the spokesman said, “Understanding of the PLO’s true nature is a prerequisite for advancement of peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.”
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.
