Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Defense Minister Benny Gantz met Thursday in the West Bank to discuss security coordination ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to the region next week.
The Defense Ministry described the meeting in Ramallah, as being held in "positive terms" and revolved around security coordination as well as regional security concerns.
Gantz wished Abbas and the Palestinian people a happy Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday beginning this weekend, the statement said adding that the two men agreed to "continue security coordination and to avoid activities that may cause instability."
Abbas "stressed the importance of creating a political horizon, respecting the signed agreements and stopping the actions and measures that lead to the deterioration of the situation," Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior aide, tweeted.
The Palestinian president also stressed the importance of having a "calm atmosphere before President Biden's visit, which we welcome," the tweet said.
Gantz met with Abbas a couple of times last year and announced measures to improve economic conditions in the West Bank. He remains defense minister in a caretaker government ahead of elections planned for Nov. 1.
The peace process collapsed more than a decade ago. High-level meetings between Israeli and Palestinian leaders are rare and tend to focus on day-to-day economic and security coordination.
Biden is expected to meet with top Israeli and Palestinian leaders next week.