Vilna'i: Israel should permit Hawatmeh visit

Israel should consider allowing Nayef Hawatmeh, the Damascus-based founder and leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, into Ramallah, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i said Friday. Vilna'i said that since Hawatmeh wouldn't be entering Israel and would be in the Palestinian Authority for a short time only, Israel should consider permitting his visit. "Even though he was a man who dealt in terror, under the current circumstances he appears to be someone who can assist in shifting the balance in favor of the moderate Palestinian front," Vilna'i said.