Jerusalem – Israel and the Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas have resumed security talks after a long break, both sides said Tuesday, a new sign of cooperation between Israel and Palestinian moderates since the Hamas takeover of Gaza.
In parallel crackdowns on the militant Islamic Hamas, security forces loyal to Abbas have taken dozens into custody and Israel has also made arrests, underlining their common interest in preventing a Hamas takeover of the West Bank.
Israeli and Palestinian security officials met in an undisclosed location Monday to “talk about how to move forward with security cooperation,” Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, told The Associated Press. Eisin characterized the renewed talks as a first step and said the sides were not exchanging names of wanted militants or coordinating arrests.
Israeli security officials played down the development, saying meetings between the two sides had continued after Hamas took control of the Palestinian government in March 2006.
Palestinian officials said it was the latest in a series of contacts in recent weeks. The Palestinians asked Israel to ease restrictions on movement within the West Bank and to stop going after gunmen loyal to Abbas, but Israel gave no assurances, the officials said.
