Palestinian President Meets Israeli Defense Minister

Officials stated that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Sunday in Ramallah, West Bank. This is the highest level meeting announced between Abbas and an Israeli minister since the formation of the new Israeli government in June. The Israeli Defense Minister's office reported that Gantz informed Abbas that Israel would take measures to support the Palestinian economy. The statement noted that they "also discussed how to deal with the security and economic situations in the West Bank and Gaza." Hussein Sheikh, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, said, "The Palestinian-Israeli relations were discussed from all aspects."