Netanyahu Gets Abbas Letter, Both 'Committed to Peace'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday received a letter from president Mahmoud Abbas about the moribund peace process, as he met in Jerusalem with two Palestinian officials, his office said.

The brief meeting was described by the Palestinians as "serious," with both sides saying Netanyahu would reply with his own letter to Abbas "within two weeks."

"This evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with representatives of the Palestinian side who handed him a letter from president Abbas," the Israeli leader's bureau said in a statement.

"Israel and the Palestinian Authority are committed to reaching peace."

The brief meeting at the premier's official residence in Jerusalem lasted just under half an hour and saw Netanyahu and his chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho meeting with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat and intelligence chief Majed Faraj, it said.

"Within two weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will send a letter to president Abbas," it said.

"The two sides hope that this exchange of letters will help find the way to advance peace."

Speaking to Agence France Presse shortly afterwards, Erakat expressed satisfaction over the brief encounter.

"It was a serious meeting," he said. "Netanyahu will study the letter seriously and answer it within two weeks."