High-profile Palestinian delegation to meet with Israelis

A Palestinian delegation will soon meet with Israeli authorities, Mohammed Shatieh, a member of the Fatah central committee announced on Wednesday.

Speaking on the Voice of Palestine radio station, Shatieh said that the delegation will be composed of Majed Faraj, head of Palestinian intelligence , Ziad al-Rih the head of Preventative Security and chief of civil affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh.

The Fatah leader said that if Israel continues to ignore the agreements it has signed the delegation will tell the Israelis that they will begin carrying out the Palestinian Central Council' resolution last March to suspend security coordination with Israel.

The three members of the planned delegation are prominent security figures who are close to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.

Shatieh confirmed that talks aiming towards a national unity government including rival Palestinian political parties of Fatah and Hamas, are planned.  He added that pressure from Qatar and Turkey lead to this decision.

The Palestinian Authority has been widely criticised for security coordination with Israel that arose out of the Oslo Accords. 

Although Mahmoud Abbas and the PA have made repeated threats to end such cooperation and dissolve the Palestinian Authority, analysts say that this may be an attempt to appease the Palestinian public rather than genuinely challenge Israel.