JERICHO, West Bank — Ehud Olmert became the first Israeli prime minister to visit a Palestinian city since the outbreak of fighting seven years ago, arriving in Jericho on Monday for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the creation of a Palestinian state.

By coming to the biblical desert town, the Israeli leader takes a security risk but also gives a symbolic boost to Abbas, who stands to gain stature by hosting Olmert on his own turf.

Jericho is one of the West Bank's most peaceful cities and the venue — a five-star hotel — is located on the outskirts of town, just a few hundred yards from a permanent Israeli army checkpoint.

Still, the meeting poses a challenge to Olmert's security detail, since West Bank cities are controlled by Abbas' weak police forces, which in June failed to prevent Hamas militants from seizing the Gaza Strip by force.

This morning, several hours before the start of the talks, Palestinian police surrounded Jericho's Intercontinental Hotel, keeping onlookers away.

The Abbas-Olmert meeting is one in a series of sessions, meant to prepare for an international Mideast conference in the U.S. in November.

The Palestinians hope the two leaders will sketch the outlines of a final peace deal, to be presented to the U.S. conference.