It has emerged that Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in London on Thursday to discuss the Fatah-Hamas unity deal and the future of the peace talks.

This was the first meeting between Mr Abbas and a senior Israeli minister in several months.

Ms Livni was in London to attend a JNF event and meet Foreign Secretary William Hague. She also met US State Secretary John Kerry on Thursday to discuss the peace process.

Ms Livni is Israel's chief negotiator in the talks, and stressed to Mr Abbas that the unity agreement with Hamas was very problematic for Jerusalem.