Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas secured the approval Saturday of the Palestine Liberation Organisation for indirect peace talks with Israel, despite opposition from several factions. Fatah deputy secretary general Jibril Rajub said the decision was taken after a meeting of the PLO's executive committee. "The Palestinian leadership has approved the proximity talks," Rajub told reporters.
The Palestinians were expected to give their formal acceptance later Saturday to President Barack Obama's special Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who has been shuttling between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Abbas had balked at again entering talks with Israel until first getting backing from the Arab League and now the PLO, an umbrella group of Palestinian factions. Ahead of the meeting, the PLO appeared split between Abbas's dominant Fatah faction and other groups.
"We believe that American promises do not represent enough of a guarantee that the process will produce real results," said Qais Abu Laila of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Following the yes vote for the so-called proximity talks, Mitchell was expected to officially announce later Saturday or on Sunday that talks would begin, Palestinian and US officials said.
He is also expected to hold two more meetings with Abbas. In the Gaza Strip, Hamas called on the PLO to reject the proximity talks, which it called "absurd." "We warn the executive of PLO not to take any decision to resume talks with the enemy and to give cover to the Israeli occupation to commit more crimes against our people," a statement said.