Abbas, Israeli Defense Minister Hold Rare Talks
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Sunday for the first official Israeli-Palestinian talks since Prime Minister Naftali Bennett took office in June. Gantz travelled to the West Bank city of Ramallah for security and economic discussions with the 85-year-old Palestinian leader, officials said on Monday. They came hours after Israeli premier Bennett returned from Washington where he met with US President Joe Biden at the White House. "Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Sunday) evening to discuss security policy, civilian and economic issues," Israel's defense ministry said in a statement. Gantz, head of a centrist party in Israel's government coalition, told Abbas "that Israel seeks to take measures that will strengthen the PA's economy. They also discussed shaping the security and economic situations in the West Bank and in Gaza," it added. "They agreed to continue communicating further." The meeting included the head of the Israeli military branch responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, Ghasan Alyan, senior PA official Hussein Al Sheikh and Palestinian intelligence chief Majid Faraj, AFP reported. Al Sheikh confirmed the meeting on Twitter. Gantz's office said the defense minister and Abbas held "a one-on-one meeting" after the larger talks.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3160181/abbas-israeli-defense-minister-hold-rare-talks
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