PALESTINIAN PREZ MEETS ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER AMID HOSTILITIES
JERUSALEM: Israel’s defense minister has held talks with the Palestinian president in the occupied West Bank, the first high-level meeting between the two sides in years, officials said.
Sunday’s meeting between Benny Gantz and Mahmoud Abbas signalled a possible shift of direction after the near-complete breakdown of communication between Abbas and Israeli leaders in recent years.
It came two days after President Joe Biden urged Israel’s new prime minister during a White House meeting to take steps toward improving the lives of Palestinians. Gantz’s office said he told Abbas that Israel will take new measures to strengthen the Palestinian economy.
A Palestinian official said Gantz and Abbas discussed possible steps toward improving the atmosphere. He said this included Palestinian demands for a halt in Israeli military operations in Palestinian areas and allowing more Palestinian workers into Israel.
JERUSALEM: Israel’s defence minister has met Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas for a rare high-level meeting between the two sides, but a source close to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett insisted on Monday that his government had no plans to reboot peace talks.
Israel’s defence minister Benny Gantz met Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday for the first direct talks between an Israeli cabinet member and the 86-year-old Palestinian leader in many years.
The meeting, which Gantz’s office said focused on “security policy, civilian and economic issues”, came just hours after PM Bennett returned from Washington where he met US President Joe Biden.
Bibi urged to return gifts
The Israeli prime minister’s office has urged former premier Benjamin Netanyahu to return dozens of expensive gifts he received while serving in the nation’s top job.
The request came as Netanyahu reportedly vacationed on a private island in Hawaii almost wholly owned by billionaire Larry Ellison. The Oracle founder is a friend of Netanyahu and also a witness for the prosecution in the former leader’s corruption trial.
The Maariv daily, which first reported the story, said Netanyahu has been asked to return 42 items, including gifts from former US president Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a statement, the Netanyahu family said all gifts the law required to be returned have been given back, and that those “in question are not in the possession of former prime minister Netanyahu”.