Palestinian ambassador refutes Haaretz report

The Palestinian Ambassador to the UK hit back at claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressured Jewish communities in the UK to not meet the Palestinian President during his recent UK visit. On January 23, Israeli daily Haaretz stated that Netanyahu's office pressured the Jewish community in Britain not to meet with the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine's ambassador to the UK, Professor Manuel Hassassian issued a statement saying: "[I] would like to clarify that there was no request by the Palestinians to meet with the Jewish community and that President Abbas met with the Chairman of the Portland Trust, Ronald Cohen." The Portland Trust is a British non-profit 'action tank' whose proclaimed mission is to promote peace and stability between Israelis and Palestinians through economic developmen. Abbas visited the UK, Germany and Russia this month to discuss bilateral relations and briefed officials on the latest developments in Palestine and the recent failed exploratory talks in Jordan. The PA President stated during his address that Israel did not offer anything substantive on the table to revive fruitful negotiations in the Jordan talks. Abbas met with a host of leaders during the tour, including UK PM David Cameron and deputy Nick Clegg, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and opposition leader Ed Miliband. During his meeting with Hague and Alan Duncan, the Minister of State for International Development, the UK pledged support for future Palestinian development projects. Abbas also met with the Archbishop of Canterbury and other church leaders in an effort to brief them on the alleged ongoing violations of places of worship and the supposed Judaization of East Jerusalem. Abbas also thanked the British government for their condemnation of Israel's flagrant settlement constructions, which Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg dubbed "vandalism".