In a secret meeting, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Israeli leader Shimon Peres in Jordan on Sunday to discuss matters connected to Palestinian-Israeli relations. The two, according to sources, restricted their discussion to matters relating to economy, as Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly agreed to the meeting on the condition that other matters not be addressed.
On the meeting's agenda, according to Ynet, was the topic question of border crossings in the Gaza Strip, through which workers pass daily, as well as goods vital to the Palestinian economy.
In addition, the two discussed joint Palestinian-Israeli projects and economic considerations of the Palestinian Authority under a Hamas-led government.
Israeli sources reported that initially, Olmert had refused to allow Peres to take part in the meeting, though ultimately agreed to a meeting on condition.
Israel's Labor party praised the meeting, saying that such contacts with Palestinian leaders were crucial for future relations between Israel and its neighbors. The party's leader, Amir Peretz, has been calling for continued contacts with the Arab world ever since Hamas' victory in Palestinian legislative elections in January.
Jordan: Israel should stick to the Road Map peace plan
Meanwhile, Jordan's Prime Minister, Marouf Al Bakhit, reportedly urged Israel to engage in negotiated settlements with its Palestinian neighbors and refrain from unilateral decisions, as was the case with Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last year.
Bakhit stated that such unilateral decisions harm final status negotiations between the parties, according to the AP.
Olmert recently stated that if peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis do not resume, he would take unilateral steps to determine the borders between Israel and the West Bank, including continued construction of the "separation" fence between the two.
