Hamas leader calls talks useless

Hamas leaders ripped Israeli-Palestinian negotiations Wednesday, saying they offered false hope to Palestinians but benefited Israel. Hamas spokesman Izzat al-Rishq said the previous day's talks in Amman, Jordan, served to "sell illusions to the Palestinian people" and benefit Israel and the Middle East Quartet, a group of nations and entities involved in mediating the peace process Hamas said was "trying to repair its image," The Jerusalem Post reported. Al-Rishq also criticized the Palestinian Authority's participation in the talks, saying the meeting did not have the backing of the Palestinian people. Negotiators met in Amman Tuesday for the first face-to-face talks in 16 months, agreeing to schedule another round in Jordan next week, the Post reported. Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said during a news conference Tuesday the Palestinian delegation submitted proposals concerning border and security issues, which the Israeli team said it would review before responding and presenting its ideas.