CIA chief Gina Haspel secretly traveled to Ramallah in the West Bank on Thursday and met with Palestinian and Israeli officials, Israeli public radio Kan reported on Sunday.
Her visit came two days after US President Donald Trump's peace plan was announced and was aimed at assessing the reactions and the nature of the relationship and its future with the Palestinians and between Palestinians and Israelis.
Kan reported that the CIA chief did not meet with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas during her visit.
She met with Palestinian intelligence chief Majed Faraj, who affirmed the continued exchange of information with the CIA despite Ramallah’s opposition to the US proposal.
Abbas on Saturday had said that contacts with the CIA were not halted, despite being severed at the political level about two years ago.
However, he later added that the PA has cut all ties with the US and Israel, including those relating to security, after rejecting Trump’s plan.
“We’ve informed the Israeli side ... that there will be no relations at all with them and the United States including security ties,” Abbas told a one-day emergency meeting among Arab foreign ministers, called to discuss Trump’s plan.
It was the first time that Abbas announces that he has already severed security relations with Israel since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. He also confirmed his abandonment of his obligations under these agreements.
Israeli and US officials had no immediate comment on his remarks.
Former US Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt slammed Abbas’s decision. He tweeted: “Pres. Abbas speaks to Arab League/condemns plan intended to create a bright future for Palestinians, but no one there speaks about one of the biggest problems for Palestinians- Iran-funded terrorists- Hamas/PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad)-who cause much suffering for Palestinians and Israelis.”
“Time for the truth!” he added.
Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision to end security relations needs an implementation mechanism, which is being prepared.
“Halting security coordination means cutting off all security cooperation with Israel,” they noted, explaining that Israel may respond by ending cooperation in other areas and this may result in the PA’s collapse.
