Palestinian president meets with Israeli defence minister

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz held a rare meeting in an effort to calm tensions and coordinate on security days before U.S. President Joe Biden's first visit to the region.

Gantz said on Twitter that Thursday's meeting in Ramallah "was conducted in positive terms" and that the two discussed "civilian and security challenges" in the region.

"We agreed to maintain close security coordination and to avoid actions that may cause instability," Gantz said.

Abbas "stressed the importance of creating a political horizon, respecting signed agreements and stopping actions and measures that lead to the deterioration of the situation," Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, said in a tweet.

Abbas also stressed the importance of having a "calm atmosphere before President Biden's visit, which we welcome".

It was the third known meeting between Abbas and Gantz since August last year, and the first since Yair Lapid took over as caretaker prime minister in Israel last week ahead of elections on Nov. 1.