Israeli Defense Minister Beni Gantz has said that he has met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to strengthen economic and security ties.
Reuters news agency quoted Israeli state media as saying that the two leaders met at the home of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday night.In August, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hosted the Israeli defense minister in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, after which the two leaders met for the second time on Tuesday.
This is the first visit of its kind by a Palestinian president in more than a decade.
Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh says a meeting between Mahmoud Abbas and Benny Gantz focused on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The last peace talks in 2014 failed.
"We discussed the implementation of economic and civilian measures," the Israeli defense minister said in a tweet. He stressed the importance of enhancing security coordination and preventing terrorism and violence for the benefit of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
This is the first high-level meeting between Mahmoud Abbas and an Israeli minister since the new Israeli government was formed in June this year.
However, opposition to a Palestinian state, led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, is unlikely to resume peace talks with the Israeli coalition government.
Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza, and a capital in East Jerusalem. It should be noted that Israel had occupied these areas in the 1967 Middle East war.
Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank is limited.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem, but the move was not universally recognized. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, which is now controlled by the armed group Hamas. Hamas has condemned the meeting between Mahmoud Abbas and Benny Gantz.
