Jerusalem newspaper: Livni to transfer Atarot airport to PA

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian Authority negotiator Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) have agreed to transfer the Atarot airfield near Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority as part of their secret negotiations, local Jerusalem newspaper Kol Hazman reported Thursday. The paper quoted senior sources in the foreign ministry as saying that an agreement had already been reached on the matter and that Israel had given its final approval. According to the report, the decision was reached as a result of Israel's recognition of the need to strengthen the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank in order to counterbalance Hamas's rule in Gaza. Kol Hazman