Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown has held talks with outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on the issue of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
The two leaders met Tuesday in London, a day after Mr. Brown spoke with visiting Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad.
Mr. Brown said Monday the settlement issue must be resolved if there is to be lasting peace in the Middle East.
Britain and much of the international community consider Jewish settlements in the West Bank as illegal. Israel views the West Bank as disputed territory with its status subject to negotiation.
In other news, Israeli troops have killed a wanted Palestinian militant in the West Bank.
Israeli army officials say they tried to arrest the Islamic Jihad militant Jihad Nwada early Tuesday near the town of Jenin. They say troops shot him as he tried to escape.
The Israeli army had suspected the militant of planning to carry out attacks in the near future.
Israeli soldiers often raid militant hideouts in the West Bank, but deadly confrontations have been rare in recent weeks.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
