Report: Netanyahu, Abbas Consider October Moscow Summit

A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is being arranged for October in Moscow, Ynet reported on Sunday.

The disclosure of the as-yet tentative summit comes a week after Egyptian President al-Sisi told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed a willingness to host direct talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Both Israeli and Palestinian officials confirmed the statement.

Officials believe that Abbas prefers Moscow rather than Cairo as a venue so that Egypt will not so conspicuously upstage France, whose peace initiative has been backed by Abbas.

Meanwhile, two Zionist Camp MKs found a partner for peace in Ramallah.

Ksenia Svetlova and Yossi Yona met with Abbas there after receiving an official invitation from him last Thursday.

MK Svetlova said that “there are a lot of peace proposals on the table to solve this conflict, and it’s important that we don’t miss this opportunity. We were happy to hear that Abbas is continuing to renounce violence and is beholden to a solution.”

Svetlova also said they discussed the possibility of a Moscow summit, which she urged Netanyahu to accept.

Netanyahu must “do everything possible and beyond to change the reality in which we pay such high prices,” Svetlova added.