(JTA) — President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke by phone about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process two days after Putin reportedly offered to hold direct talks in Moscow.
Putin and Netanyahu also addressed other Middle East concerns, according to Haaretz.
Egypt’s president, Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, said Putin was willing to host Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the talks.
In announcing the Putin offer on Sunday, al-Sissi said his country supports the efforts and that “both sides are urged to participate and respond positively to the initiative for the sake of finding light at the end of the tunnel for Palestinians and establishing their state alongside Israel.”
Al-Sissi said that Israel’s understanding of its own need for an agreement and its desire “to lead to a kind of break in the impasse” have both been growing, “and that’s a positive sign.”
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