国际英语新闻:Israel's new opposition leader meets with Palestinian president

JERUSALEM, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel's newly-elected opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog on Sunday met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Israeli media reported.

Herzog, who replaced the head of the Labor Party and opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich following the party's internal elections on Nov. 21, said he supports a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

In January, the Labor Party, which was once the ruling party and had been occupying around 20 to 30 seats, got only 15 seats ( out of 120) in the latest national elections.

Herzog's meeting with Abbas signaled his decision to bring the issue of negotiations with the Palestinians back to the top of Israel's political agenda.

"We have a historic opportunity for peace and we must do all we can to seize it," Herzog said, referring to the ongoing peace talks between the two sides, which resumed in late July after a three-year halt.

The new opposition leader also said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should meet with Abbas in order to advance the talks, adding that Abbas is a "partner who is ready to move toward peace and take original, brave steps on the core issues."

The peace negotiations have reportedly reached an impasse due to Israel's continued construction in the West Bank settlements on lands annexed during the 1967 Mideast War.