JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, Israeli officials said late Sunday.

The officials said the meeting would take place Tuesday afternoon in Jerusalem.

Earlier Sunday, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the two would meet "in a couple of days,'' and a preparatory session with aides would take place Monday.

Olmert and Abbas have been meeting regularly in recent months. Their last summit was earlier this month in the West Bank town of Jericho, the first time they met outside Israel.

The meetings are meant as a boost to Abbas, who is in a power struggle with the militant Islamic Hamas, which has taken over Gaza and threatens his position in the West Bank. However, so far there have been few concrete results from the summits.

Palestinians want talks on issues that could lead to a peace treaty, but Israel prefers to limit the discussions to general principles and day-to-day matters because of the internal Palestinian political turmoil.