Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak held talks Saturday evening on security and political matters, officials from both sides said. The two men meet at Barak's residence in Tel Aviv for discussions on "security and political questions" according to a defense ministry statement.
The talks touched on the expected release of more than 150 Palestinian prisoners Sunday, along with the deployment of new Palestinian police forces in the West Bank, military radio reported.
Barak and Fayyad met in Jerusalem in June with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
A statement from Fayyad's office said he insisted that Israel must halt settlement construction and cease military raids into the West Bank in pursuit of alleged Palestinian militants, which the Palestinian premier said undermine his government's authority.
The statement said Fayyad also repeated Palestinian demands for the release of Marwan Barghouti, the highest Fatah official in Israeli custody, who is serving multiple life terms for involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis.