Israeli envoy to meet Abbas

An Israeli envoy is to meet meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tonight to submit a letter regarding the possibility of substantive talks.

The modest exchange is the highest-level communication between the two sides since exploratory contact collapsed four months ago.

Yitzhak Molcho, a representative of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will meet Mr Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, an official said.

Mr Molcho’s letter is a response to a note that Palestinian negotiators gave to Mr Netanyahu last month clarifying their positions if talks were to resume.