Israeli envoy delivers response to Abbas letter

An Israeli envoy delivered his prime minister's response to President Mahmoud Abbas' letter on peace talks late Saturday, officials said. Envoy Yitzhak Molcho met Palestinian officials in Ramallah on Saturday evening to deliver the reply, Ofer Gendelman, spokesman to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said. Official PA news agency Wafa released images of the meeting with President Abbas and negotiations official Saeb Erekat, but Palestinian officials were unavailable for comment late Saturday. Gendelman said Netanyahu's office would shortly release an official statement on the meeting. PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat and Palestinian intelligence chief Majed Faraj met Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 17 and handed over a letter from the president outlining his position on the peace process. The missive included references to the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, a settlement freeze and the release of Palestinians detained since before the Oslo Accords.