An Israeli source said on Tuesday that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will not head the Palestinian delegation scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat is likely to head the delegation in his stead.

Erekat confirmed that Fayyad will not attend the meeting, adding that he is on his way to meet Netanyahu together with West Bank intelligence chief Majed Faraj.

At the meeting, Fayyad was due to present Netanyahu with a missive from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the stalled peace talks. Also initially scheduled to take part was PLO Executive Committee Secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The reason for Fayyad’s cancelation is apparently due to disagreements with Abbas over the letter.

Around Netanyahu, expectations from the meeting are low. Netanyahu’s advisers refused to divulge any information about the meeting, including its time and place. At this time there is no intention of opening any part of the meeting to the media. Apparently, the Palestinians will hold their own press conference once they return to Ramallah.

According to persons close to Netanyahu, the Israeli premier will stress that he is interested in personally meeting with Abbas as soon as possible.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make your Passover gift today!

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount