Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz held a rare meeting on Thursday in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Reuters reported.
Gantz said on Twitter that the meeting “was conducted in positive terms” and that the two discussed “civilian and security challenges” in the region.
“We agreed to maintain close security coordination and to avoid actions that may cause instability,” Gantz said.
Wishing our friends and allies around the world, Eid al-Adha Mubarak. May this be a holiday of joy and peace. May our ties deepen and flourish. pic.twitter.com/ysHaDqDNXw
— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) July 8, 2022
Abbas “stressed the importance of creating a political horizon, respecting signed agreements and stopping actions and measures that lead to the deterioration of the situation,” Hussein Al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, said in a tweet.
Abbas also stressed the importance of having a “calm atmosphere before President Biden’s visit, which we welcome.”
Gantz meets Palestinian President Abbas in Ramallah ahead of Biden visit https://t.co/WsypigLYup
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) July 8, 2022
It was the third known meeting between Abbas and Gantz since August last year, and the first since Yair Lapid took over as caretaker prime minister in Israel last week ahead of elections on November 1.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
