Despite calling Yasser Arafat “irrelevant” and the Palestinian Authority an entity that supports terror, a joint statement issued by Prime Minister Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres today announced that Peres is in fact holding secret talks with Palestinian representative Abu Ala in an effort to end the current violence. Today\'s statement, released by the Prime Minister’s media advisor, is an about-face from yesterday’s announcement, which dismissed the notion that such talks were taking place.



Today’s statement confirms that Prime Minister Sharon knew that Peres has been meeting with Abu Ala. Tourism Minister Rabbi Benny Elon is now saying that by allowing the talks to continue, Sharon is in fact contradicting government policy decisions that there would be no negotiations with the Palestinian leadership under fire.