GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Sept. 8 that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have tentatively agreed to hold a meeting in Moscow in a step toward resuming political contacts between the two sides. Peace talks have been stalled since late 2010 due to Israel's ongoing settlement activities in the West Bank and Jerusalem. A date for the meeting has not yet been set.
The PA had set three conditions for the resumption of political negotiations with the Israelis: halting the construction of settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank, releasing the fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and ending the Israeli occupation by 2017.