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PA Leader: U.S. Offered to Pressure Israel
(Jerusalem Post) - Khaled Abu Toameh Kadoura Fares, one of three senior Fatah leaders who visited Washington recently, said on Saturday that U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield offered to put pressure on Israel to dismantle settlements if the PA cracks down on Hamas and other armed groups. "The proposal calls for halting attacks against Israel, collecting weapons from Palestinian groups, detaining members of armed groups, and other measures in return for Washington's intervention against the settlements," Fares said. According to Fares, the 3-man Fatah delegation rejected the offer. "We were surprised during our meetings in Washington, because we felt that we were negotiating with Israeli ministers and leaders, and not Americans," he complained.