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Report: Abbas willing to meet with Netanyahu in Moscow

It appears that an offer by Russian President Vladimir Putin to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians is moving forward as both leaders have tentatively agreed to attending such a summit.

Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas has reportedly agreed to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for direct talks in Russia, the Russian Interfax news reported Monday, quoting the Palestinian embassy.

This report comes hours after Netanyahu’s office stated that Netanyahu was considering a Russian offer to meet with Abbas in Moscow in a summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Netanyahu met on Monday in Jerusalem with Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and President Vladimir Putin’s Special Envoy for the Middle East.

The two discussed the possibility of coordinating a face-to-face meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas in the Russian capital.

Netanyahu stated he was “always” willing to meet with Abbas “directly and without preconditions.”

Reports from the weekend cite Palestinian officials who said they were not opposed to such a meeting, but set preconditions and demanded Israeli concessions before it takes place.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News