Russia: Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to meet for talks in Moscow
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed to meet on an unspecified date
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed in principle to meet in Moscow, in what would be their first face-to-face meeting in years.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that an agreement had taken place on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
No date has been given for the meeting. “The most important thing is to pick the right timing,” Ms Zakharova added.
Mr Abbas and Mr Netanyahu exchanged a brief handshake at the global climate change conference in Paris last year, but have not held a public working meeting since 2010.
Mr Abbas said earlier this week that a meeting scheduled in Moscow had been postponed at Israel’s request.
Mr Abbas and Mr Netanyahu agree on hardly any issues, including the construction of Israeli settlements on land claimed by Palestinians, which means setting an agenda will be a difficult task. Any meeting at all is seen as progress, however, since US-brokered peace talks broke down in 2014.
The Moscow meeting points to Russia's growing influence in Middle Eastern affairs.
President Vladimir Putin has been vocal in his support for President Bashar Assad in the five-year-long Syrian civil war.
The Russian military has aided the Syrian government by providing fighter jets to assist in the fight against various rebel groups since last September.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments