Jerusalem, Jan 2 (Xinhua) The US is likely to hold a joint meeting with Israel and Palestine at a neutral venue next week to discuss the progress of the Middle East peace process, local daily Ha’aretz reported on its website Wednesday.
According to the report, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestine National Authority (PNA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and US President George W. Bush will attend the meeting.
The summit will focus on accelerating Israel-PNA peace negotiations that was revived at the US-sponsored Annapolis Middle East peace conference in November 2007.
“The purpose of the meeting was to further the negotiations,” Ha’aretz quoted a senior Israeli politician as saying.
The leaders will evaluate the situation and decide how the peace talks should proceed, he added.
Bush will visit Israel and the PNA Jan 9-10, as part of a nine-day-tour to seven states.
Ha’aretz said Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the Iranian nuclear issue would top Bush’s agenda during his visit.
Israel and PNA have held two meetings after the Annapolis summit, but reached an impasse over disagreements on the issue of Israel’s construction of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.