Abbas says Israel talking with Hamas

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel is conducting secret negotiations with Hamas.

Ha’aretz reported that in an BBC interview in Arabic, Abbas said Israel and Hamas were discussing a Palestinian state with temporary borders. A Hamas spokesman denied the existence of such talks, telling a Palestinian Web site, “We don’t negotiate with the enemy.”

Abbas also said that the Israeli government wasn’t truly interested in peace, and that “Washington isn’t pushing Israel enough to advance the peace process.” — jta