An official here on Sunday downplayed the significance of a planned meeting between Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and an Israeli opposition lawmaker.

Abbas and Zehava Gal-On, who heads the left-of-center Meretz party, were due to meet in the West Bank city of Ramallah later on Sunday.

A Meretz spokeswoman declined comment on the message that Gal- On would relay to the Palestinian leader, but said the two would hold a joint press conference to issue statements that are expected to center on long-stalled peace negotiations.

An Israeli official said he had little hope that the meeting, the first of its kind in years, would contribute to ongoing efforts to reignite direct talks between the parties.

"He (Abbas) is not going to bridge the gaps between Israelis and Palestinians by speaking to the opposition," he told The Jerusalem Post, adding that peace and Palestinian statehood can only be achieved through talks with the elected government of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Abbas has steadfastly rejected Netanyahu's repeated calls to hold direct negotiations, citing Israel's refusal to halt settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as the main reason for his refusal.

Another Israeli official, however, offered a different take on Sunday's meeting, saying that while the government sets foreign policy, he saw no reason why it should not use members of the opposition, such as Gal-On, "if there's a possibility to engage in a dialogue with the Palestinians."

He dismissed speculation that Gal-On was attempting to embarrass Netanyahu's Likud-led government by approaching Abbas on her own.