Israel on Wednesday approved measures with the goal of improving relations with Palestinians following a meeting between Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting marked Abbas's first meeting with an Israeli official within the country since 2010. The meeting reportedly drew backlash from Israeli opposition lawmakers such as the largest party in Parliament, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMORE’s Likud party. Bennett's government, however, has said that it does want to reduce tensions between Israel and Palestine through improving West Bank living conditions, according to AP. Palestine is interested in becoming an independent state, including areas in east Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and all of the West Bank.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 29, 2021 13:49 UTC