Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki received in Ramallah on Tuesday New European Union envoy to the Middle East Fernando Gentilini.

Palestinian Foreign Ministry sources said that Maliki posted the envoy on the political developments in the Palestinian cause and Israeli violations against the Palestinians, calling on the Israeli side to halt its aggression on the Palestinians.

For his part, the envoy, who is Italian, said the European Union will exert more efforts to push forward negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.