Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas Hold Secret Talks for Years

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have had secret back-channel talks for several years, an Israeli newspaper is reporting.
Yediot Acharonot’s Nahum Barnea first reported Thursday that Netanyahu confidant Yitzhak Molcho, an attorney, travels to London to meet with one of Abbas’ trusted confidants. The quiet diplomacy includes exchanging messages and ideas, according to Yediot.
Due to the current Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, the back channel relationship between the two leaders has diminished in importance.
The newspaper promised a longer story on the issue to be published in the Friday edition.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
