President Shimon Peres secretly met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman two months ago, Britain's The Sunday Times reported.

According to the report, the meeting was part of efforts to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Peres reportedly convinced Abbas to accept that settlers in the West Bank and Jewish residents of east Jerusalem could remain in their settlements but be subject to the Palestinian state.

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It was further noted that Peres put pressure on Abbas to accept this condition as the minimum that he needed to convince Netanyahu to give his blessing to the talks.





Peres and Abbas in Amman (Photo: Mark Neiman, GPO)

It is possible that the report refers to a meeting between the two that was held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Amman last May.

"We shouldn't lose the opportunity because it will be replaced by a great disappointment," Peres told reporters in Jordan at the time. "For my experience, I believe it's possible to overcome it. It doesn't require too much time."

On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that a basis has been established for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian after a stalemate that lasted four years.

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