Palestinian negotiations aide suspected of spying

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian officials said on Sunday they had arrested a member of their peace negotiating department for spying for Israel, a development likely to deepen distrust between the sides at a time of deadlocked diplomacy and heightened violence.

The man, whose name was not released, is part of the management staff in the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organisation's (PLO) negotiations department and is accused of "collaborating with Israel", a security official told Reuters.

Another official said the suspect was arrested two weeks ago.

Al Ayyam newspaper, published in the West Bank city of Ramallah where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ administration is based, described the suspect as a 20-year veteran of the PLO team and said he had confessed to the charge.

How long he had spied for Israel and what damage he might have done remained unclear, Al Ayyam said, citing an unnamed senior Palestinian official.

Israeli officials did not immediately respond.

The PLO and Israel signed interim accords in 1993 that won limited self-rule for the Palestinians, but after several rounds of talks their goal of statehood in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and in the Gaza Strip remains out of reach.