Olmert's office said the two sides also discussed the possibility of expanding a month-old ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to the West Bank. However, he complained of the dozens of rocket attacks out of Gaza since the Nov. 26 truce, and said Israel's patience is running thin.
Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led government, criticized Israel's "trickery" in Saturday night's meeting.
"Israel did not give any clear answers to many important issues, whether taxes or prisoners," he said, adding that Israel had no right to decide how withheld tax funds are spent.
Abbas, elected in a presidential vote last year, has been locked in an increasingly bitter and violent showdown with Hamas since the Islamic group took office.
RSS