Olmert's office denies WND report

Olmert's office denies WND report
Top diplomatic sources say secret talks held on handing territory to Abbas
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Posted: January 23, 2007
5:43 p.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office today denied a WND report quoting top Egyptian and European diplomatic sources stating Israel and the Palestinians have been conducting behind-the-scenes negotiations regarding handing over most of the West Bank to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The diplomatic sources said they were directly involved in the negotiations, which they said were mediated by Egypt and the European Union, with U.S. input. The sources said major changes in Israeli-Palestinian affairs are expected within a few weeks to two months.

"There were no negotiations regarding a West Bank withdrawal. This would go contrary to other things we have said in the recent past," said Olmert's spokesperson, Miri Eisin.

"Perhaps the officials talking to WorldNetDaily were referring to general expectations for movement in the Israeli-Palestinian arena," Eisin said.

But the European and Egyptian sources today stood by their statements that Israel agreed in principal to transfer security control to Abbas of most of the West Bank. The territory borders Jerusalem and is within rocket-firing range of Tel Aviv and Israel's international airport.
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