President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine today received a delegation from the Israeli left-wing Meretz party, at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, to discuss ways to advance peace efforts in the region.

According to the WAFA News Agency, the delegation, chaired by Zehava Gal-On, Chairperson of Meretz, affirmed to Abbas the need to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent State of Palestine based on 1967 borders.