Likud efforts to foil negotiations with Palestinian Authority

Israeli Likud leaders are calling for a conference to be held aimed at foiling peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, an Israeli Hebrew newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The majority of Likud’s leaders, seven out of 11, sent a letter to the head of the party, Deputy Israeli Defence Minister Danny Danon, asking him to hold the conference. They also sent the same letter to the head of Likud, Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin.

In the letter, they said the “Israeli government, headed by Likud, is conducting secret talks nowadays. There is leaked information about an Israeli agreement including concessions that oppose the principal Likud position, which is laid down in the Likud Constitution.”

According to the newspaper, Likud is working to issue a decision that stops the peace talks with the Palestinians.

A few days ago, seven members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government also called for a new vote on the decision to release the second round of Palestinian prisoners after the recent deaths of two Israeli soldiers in the occupied territories.