PA President Mahmoud Abbas (right) with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: wiki commons.

JNS.org – The Jordanian newspaper Al Ghad reported Thursday that several days before the cease-fire agreement struck between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas secretly met in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

According to the report, the secret meeting was initiated and sponsored by Jordan. The report did not specify the topics discussed in the meeting, but it has been suggested that the two touched on the cease-fire in Gaza. Last month, Jordan presented a proposal for a lasting cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, based on the earlier American proposal.

The report of the secret meeting was not confirmed by either Israel or the Palestinians. Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz (Hatnuah) told Israel Radio on Thursday that if the report is true, “it proves that Netanyahu is fulfilling his responsibility to the state, by exploring every avenue to create a new diplomatic reality.”