Israel Says It OKd Meetings With PLO but Only to Gain Soldiers’ Freedom
Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s office said Thursday that Israel had sanctioned meetings between its citizens and the Palestine Liberation Organization but only to win the release of captured Israeli troops.
In a statement, Shamir’s office said it wanted to correct what it called distorted local media reports of secret court testimony Wednesday by an agent of the Shin Bet internal security service.
The agent, identified by the Israeli media as Reuven, was a witness at the trial of four Israeli leftists who held talks with PLO representatives in Romania last November.
He was quoted by local radio stations as saying the government had approved meetings between Israelis and the PLO despite an August, 1986, law banning such contacts.
“By saying that in the past, Israeli elements established contacts with the PLO with the knowledge of the government, the witness was referring to those held in connection with saving our prisoners in PLO hands,” the statement said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
