Hundreds of PFLP supporters protest against peace talks

Hundreds of people marched in Ramallah on Saturday to protest against peace negotiations with Israel. The march was organized by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to protest a return to peace talks and to commemorate the 12th anniversary of Abu Ali Mustafa's death. At least 1,000 people marched towards the presidential headquarters in the Muqata chanting slogans against negotiations. "We are against the negotiations because they don't serve the interests of the Palestinian people," PFLP leader Abdulrahim Malouh told Ma'an. "We remain with our people's right to return, independence, and self-determination," he added, calling for national unity. Senior PFLP official Khalida Jarrar said the demonstration aimed to send a message that the PLO must stop negotiations. "We came to deliver a political voice dismissive of the negotiations," she said. PFLP official Omar Shehadeh criticized a heavy PA police presence at the demonstration, saying it created division between the PA and the people. All major Palestinian political factions, with the exception of Fatah, have rallied against a return to negotiations. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators formally resumed direct peace talks earlier last month after a hiatus of nearly three years, thanks to an intense bout of shuttle diplomacy by US Secretary of State John Kerry. They are expected to last about nine months.