Lavrov will meet with Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem in the morning before heading on to Ramallah, in the West Bank, for talks with PNA President Mahmoud Abbas, who formed an emergency Cabinet in the territory following Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip two weeks ago.
"The minister's trip will see an in-depth exchange of views with regional partners on prospects for the resumption of a political reconciliation [process] between the Palestinians and Israel," ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said ahead of Lavrov's visit.
The so-called Quartet of Mideast peace mediators - comprised of Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations - will meet in Jerusalem Wednesday to consider possibilities of bringing peace to the region now that the Palestinian Authority has split in two, with Hamas ruling Gaza and Abbas' Fatah in charge of the West Bank.
The appointment of outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as the Quartet envoy is expected to bolster the international community's efforts to support President Abbas and his secular government against Islamist radicals.
