Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas met on Tuesday with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to discuss “security and economics” on the Palestinian Authority’s first visit to Israel since 2010.
“I met overnight (on Tuesday) with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas. We discussed the application of economic and civil measures and the importance of strengthening our security coordination”, wrote Gantz on Twitter, shortly after the ministry’s announcement of the meeting.
Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, Hussein al-Sheikh, tweeted on Wednesday that “Abbas met with Benny Gantz and the meeting addressed the importance of creating a political horizon that leads to a political solution in accordance with international resolutions.”
They also discussed local conditions due to the “practices of (Israeli) settlers, and the meeting addressed many security, economic and humanitarian issues.”
Participants did not reveal the location of the meeting, but Israeli media say it took place at Gantz’s home in Rosh Haayin, in central Israel.
Following the coming to power in June of the Israeli coalition government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, several Israeli ministers visited Abbas in the West Bank, home of the Palestinian Authority.
This is the first time since 2010 that Abbas has traveled to Israel for an official meeting with a member of the Hebrew state government.
Gantz informed the interlocutor that he intends to “continue to promote actions aimed at strengthening confidence in economic and civil matters, as was decided during the last meeting between them”, the statement said.
“The two discussed security and civil issues”, completes the text.
– Reviews of Likud and Hamas –
Gantz visited Palestinian Authority headquarters in August to speak with Abbas, at the first official meeting of this level in years.
But after the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Bennett declared that there is no ongoing peace process with the Palestinians and that “there won’t be.”
The Likud (right) party criticized the meeting in a statement and said that “it is only a matter of time before dangerous concessions for Israel’s security are made.”
“The Israeli-Palestinian government has put the Palestinians and Abbas on the agenda. It’s dangerous for Israel,” Likud said.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip – which is under Israeli blockade – also criticized the meeting, as it considers it deviating from “the national spirit of our Palestinian people”.
“This behavior by the Palestinian Authority leadership aggravates the Palestinian political division, complicates the Palestinian situation, encourages some in the region who want to normalize (relations) with the occupier and weakens the Palestinian position that rejects normalization with Israel,” said the spokesman. Hamas voice, Hazem Qasem, in a statement.
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