Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas asked Meretz ministers during their meeting in Ramallah on Sunday to send a message from him to Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked that he is interested in meeting her, Barak Ravid of Walla! reports.
According to the report, Abbas told the surprised ministers, "Tell Ayelet Shaked that I want to meet her. Why are they afraid to talk to me? Let her come and say whatever she wants and I will listen. I know she has very tough opinions, but even if we agree on even one percent it will be progress."
Abbas is not only interested in meeting Shaked, but also would like a meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. "We know there will be no political negotiations but let's meet and talk about what is possible, even if we do not agree on anything," he said.
The PA chairman claimed that during the talks to form the government, he conveyed messages to Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas and encouraged him to join the coalition.
Shaked swiftly rejected Abbas’ call for a meeting on Sunday evening.
"It will not happen. I will not meet with a Holocaust denier who sues IDF soldiers in The Hague and pays murderers of Jews," she tweeted.