Criticising Pakistan’s efforts to move close to Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Monday rejected Islamabad’s claim that last-week’s meeting between Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri and his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalom, had Palestinian concurrence. ‘‘There is a difference between notifying us and claiming that we gave the meeting the green light,’’ Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister and Information Minister Nabil Shaath said in a statement. ‘‘Israel has done nothing that a country such as Pakistan should reward with a prize,’’ Pakistan daily Dawn quoted him as saying in the statement. Meanwhile in Islamabad, talking to state-run PTV Kasuri said on Monday that the September 1 talks in Istanbul, Turkey, were aimed at getting involved in the Middle East peace process to help the Palestinians. Kasuri said Pakistan feels it ‘ought to play a role in the peace process between Palestine and Israel, and you cannot play any role whatsoever if you are not even prepared to talk to one party’’.
