Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is now undertaking a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. “Therefore, he is examining the Russian proposal and the offered terms of a possible meeting”, the statement reads.
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If agreed upon, the talks would be the first between the two leaders in several years, amid the ongoing rift in the region.
French special envoy Pierre Vimont is slated to arrive in Cairo next week on a similar mission.
A screen capture of Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that he doubts Netanyahu is ready to fulfill the conditions needed for the talks to take place.
Ms Bishop is wrapping up a three day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Monday, after meeting with Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin and visiting Israel’s Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem.
The move came amidst tightened relations between Netanyahu and Putin over Russia’s increased involvement in the Middle East. Netanyahu visited Putin three times over the past year, and the two held several phone talks.
The latest flurry of peace initiatives was also reportedly raised Thursday in a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and US Secretary of State John Kerry in New Delhi, where both were on official visits.
Israel has rejected the Palestinians demand as a precondition for the resumption of negotiations that Israel freeze settlement construction and release Palestinian prisoners, in accordance with agreements made in the past.
Netanyahu told Bogdanov during the discussion that he is prepared to meet with Abbas “directly, and without preconditions”.
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Peace efforts have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.
