Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder in the West Bank on Saturday, a Palestinian minister said.
Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh revealed the meeting in a Twitter posting but gave no details.
The meeting took place following a call by Lauder for Palestinians to revive peace talks with Israel, Reuters reported.
Lauder, a US businessman who also met Abbas a year ago in New York, attended the Sept. 15 White House signing ceremony of an agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to forge formal ties.
The World Jewish Congress said in a statement that Lauder met the Palestinian leader on Saturday "for a private visit at Abbas’ invitation, to discuss a range of issues regarding Palestine and the Middle East."
In Washington, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that Lauder's visit was not coordinated with or on behalf of the Trump administration but was in a strictly private capacity.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
