JERUSALEM, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Monday night to ease a recent tension between the two, local newspaper the Jerusalem Post reported on its website.

    According to the report, Olmert and Peretz, also heads of the two major parties in Knesset (parliament), agreed to resolve their differences and act towards the stability of the coalition. Last week, tension rose between Olmert and Peretz over the Drugs Basket and other political dramas.

    Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's best-selling newspaper, said that Monday's one-on-one meeting between the two leaders was positive and both of them agreed to do all to stabilize the coalition government.

    Meanwhile, Yedioth Ahronoth said that Olmert has expressed ire at the meeting over the attitude of a number of Knesset members (MKs) from Peretz's Labor Party who abstained from the budget vote by the Knesset Finance Committee, and Peretz has responded that he would try to "restrain" the rebellious Labor MKs. Enditem