Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made a rare visit to Israel on Tuesday for talks with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. The talks follow on from a meeting between Gantz and Abbas in the Palestinian city of Ramallah last summer.
A senior Palestinian official said the overnight meeting took place at Secretary Gantz’s home. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he discussed a private meeting, said it was the first time since 2010 that Abbas has met an Israeli official in Israel.
Little has been released about the exact content of the conversation. Hussein Al Sheikh, a top Abbas aide, said economic and humanitarian issues and security were discussed at the meeting.
There have been no substantive peace talks between the parties for more than a decade. Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, is an outspoken opponent of Palestinian independence and has ruled out formal peace talks.
He has said he wants to reduce frictions with the Palestinian Authority and improve living conditions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Despite these pledges, the area has seen an increase in violence in recent weeks, with attacks from both sides.
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