Netanyahu Denies Evading Abbas

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office denied a claim by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that he’s been evading Abbas’s requests for a meeting.
“There were contacts for a meeting with Netanyahu two months ago, but his people evaded preliminary meetings to agree on the meeting,” Abbas claimed to reporters.
“This is simply not right,” the PMO said in a statement. “This is simply Abbas’s attempt to evade responsibility for the lack of negotiations. Netanyahu was in Davos for world economic forum on Thursday.
Abbas also denied charges that he and the PA have been inciting violence against Israelis, maintaining that he is against bloodshed.
He defended the PA’s policy of paying salaries to families of Palestinian terrorists and prisoners, describing it as the “law and culture.” Abbas added, “It’s my duty to look after every prisoner.”