Israel to cut ties with Palestinians

Israel’s government is to rule out contact with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and declare the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority a “hostile entity,” an Israeli government spokesman said today.

The security Cabinet, a small group of top officials, recommended that Israel cut all ties with the Palestinian Authority, including Abbas, ruling out the possibility that Israel would negotiate with the moderate Palestinian president in an effort to bypass the Islamic Hamas group, spokesman Asaf Shariv said.

The full Cabinet is to discuss and approve the recommendations at its weekly meeting next Sunday, making the measures official Israeli policy, Shariv said.