Israel's intelligence minister said Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is the world's most anti-Semitic leader following the departure of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's president last year.

"Since Ahmadinejad left the political stage, Abu Mazen is the number one leader in injecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israel poison," Yuval Steinitz told a Tel Aviv security conference Wednesday, using the name by which Abbas is popularly known in Arabic.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada said Monday the staunch Israeli ally would provide additional financial support for the West Bank, as he met Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

"I have the pleasure to announce today that Canada will this year give additional (financial) support for the economic development of the West Bank," Harper told reporters, saying this was key for "social stability" and for advancing peace.

Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday rejected Israeli and Palestinian remarks the U.S. was biased as he made a whistlestop tour of allies Jordan and Saudi Arabia to woo support for his peace plan.

Kerry promised any agreed plan would be "fair and balanced" and likened his efforts to broker a compromise between the conflicting demands of the two sides to a puzzle.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday as he pushed a framework for Middle East peace talks, amid growing tension with the Palestinians.

The two met in Jerusalem, launching what is expected to be an intense four days of shuttle diplomacy between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed disappointment Wednesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has failed to condemn fresh attacks on Israelis, as a watchdog questioned the legality of Israeli reprisals.

An Israeli man was shot dead Tuesday while working on the border fence with the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli military retaliated with a wave of strikes that killed a toddler and wounded six other Palestinians.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas urged Christian pilgrims from around the world to visit the Holy Land to mark the visit of Pope Francis, set for 2014, in a Christmas message on Monday.

The pontiff is to make a brief visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories from May 25, his first to the Holy Land, Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot said last week.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has rejected U.S. proposals for Israel to keep troops in a future Palestinian state along its strategic border with Jordan, a Palestinian source said on Friday.

Following a meeting on Thursday evening with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the West Bank city of Ramallah, "President Abbas has rejected the ideas presented by the secretary of state", the source said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived on Thursday in Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in yet another attempt at promoting elusive Israeli-Palestinians peace talks.

Kerry arrived at the presidential office at 1715 GMT, slightly late, as extreme weather -- including snow storms -- swept across Israel and the Palestinian territories, an Agence France Presse correspondent said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry marked his 70th birthday Wednesday with another trip to Israel, in his dogged quest for an elusive Middle East peace deal.

But there will be no gift-wrapped agreement awaiting him when he is due to land back in Israel on Thursday, less than a week after his last trip to the Jewish state.

Several heads of state stressed to Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati their keenness to preserve stability in Lebanon during the Premier's visit to South Africa to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, a global symbol of reconciliation.

“Heads of state expressed their keenness to preserve stability in Lebanon and to share the burdens caused by the influx of Syrian refugees on its territories,” a statement issued by Miqati's press office said on Wednesday.