NEW YORK (Reuters) -- US President Barack Obama will hold talks with President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at 6 p.m. Wednesday, White House official Ben Rhodes said Tuesday.

Abbas is also willing to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he told Fox News Monday.

"I will meet any Israeli official any time," the president said. "But there is no use if there is nothing tangible."

The Israeli news site Ynet reported Tuesday that Netanyahu was also willing to meet Abbas.

Abbas and Netanyahu will both address the General Assembly on Friday, after which Abbas says he will request full membership of the United Nations from the Security Council.

The bid is strongly opposed by Israel and the US, who insist that an independent Palestinian state can only be achieved through negotiations.