PA chief Mahmoud Abbas
PA chief Mahmoud AbbasFlash90

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday called both President Isaac Herzog and Defense Minister Benny Gantz ahead of the holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

A statement from Herzog’s office said Abbas called him “and wished him and the citizens of Israel a happy new year and a happy holiday.”

“In their conversation, the two expressed hope that the new year will bring with it more cooperation and dialogue that will bring hope to both peoples,” added the statement.

A statement from the Defense Ministry following the call between Gantz and Abbas said, “The two discussed the need to strengthen ties in the coming year and wished each other a year of health, economic prosperity and security stability.”

Gantz recently met with Abbas to discuss security-policy, civilian and economic issues.

During the meeting, Gantz told Abbas that Israel seeks to take measures that will strengthen the PA’s economy.

They also discussed shaping the security and economic situations in Judea and Samaria and in Gaza. They agreed to continue communicating further on the issues that were raised during the meeting.

A senior official in the government criticized Gantz following the meeting, saying he “only cares about his own political interests” and “is behaving like a government within a government.”

The Defense Minister, however, insisted that Bennett was aware of his meeting with Abbas and approved it.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Rosh Hashanah in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)