Report: Israelis and Palestinians Have Held Secret Talks for Weeks

Facts

• An Axios report released on Monday claimed that senior aides of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Pres. Mahmoud Abbas have held secret talks over the past two months to tame rising tensions in the West Bank.¹
• The report also claimed that the White House was aware of the backchannel. It's reportedly ambiguous whether all members of Netanyahu's coalition were conscious of the talks.¹
• Sources say the Palestinian Authority Minister for Civilian Affairs, Hussein al-Sheikh, earlier passed a message to Netanyahu’s office through the Biden admin. about the Palestinian Authority's readiness to work with Netanyahu weeks before the new Israeli government took office.²
• Netanyahu's office reportedly responded positively and appointed National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi to engage in relations with the Palestinian Authority in hopes of reducing tensions.³
• The sources said that the two have met at least once in person and have talked on the phone over the past month and a half. The channel reportedly does not seek to address the larger issues of the conflict, instead focusing on de-escalation.⁴
• The report comes on the heels of the UN Security Council unanimously approving a presidential statement strongly criticizing Israel's continued construction and expansion of settlements in the West Bank.⁵

Sources: ¹Axios, ²FOX News, ³Middle east monitor, ⁴The times of israel and ⁵Itn.

Narratives

• Pro-Palestine, as provided by Middle east eye. Israel's far-right government has taken actions so abusive in the occupied West Bank that even its closest ally, the US, agreed to support the UN Security Council presidential statement. Though communication is important, settlement activities continue to disrupt peace and put any possible diplomatic agreement at risk.
• Pro-Israel, as provided by FOX News. If you pay attention to what the Netanyahu government is saying, secret talks between Israel and Palestine shouldn't surprise you. Though he isn't catering to every outlandish demand from the UN, the Prime Minister has already promised the Biden admin. that Israel won't build any further settlements beyond what is already there. The so-called rift between Israel and the US or Israel and the Palestinian Authority is often fabricated — or at least hyperbolized — to make Israel look bad.