Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to visit Iran in November. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning a visit to Iran in November as he seeks to boost ties with the Islamic Republic, a Palestinian official announced Tuesday.

Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee member Ahmed Majdalani—who recently visited Tehran, where he met with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif—said that arrangements are being made for the visit by Abbas.

Majdalani said his talks in Iran focused on boosting bilateral relations, the Syrian civil war, and the dispute between the PA and Hamas, the Jerusalem Post reported. Majdalani added that Iran and the PA have agreed to work together on holding an international conference with the goal of bringing about the nuclear disarmament of Israel. (The Jewish state has never confirmed nor denied possessing nuclear weapons.)

Abbas last visited Iran back in 2012, when he attended a Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran. The recent moves by the PA to bolster ties with Iran come as reports indicate a strain in relations between Hamas and the Islamic Republic.