JERUSALEM &#8212 In a meeting with the Palestinian leader, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday proposed freeing some prisoners, lifting some West Bank roadblocks, and creating a team to work on a broad agreement ahead of a U.S.-sponsored peace conference in November.

Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed in their three hours of talks in Jerusalem to set up a top-level team to discuss “ways of advancing the peace process and of reaching a two-state solution” – the stated goal of the Palestinians, Israel and the U.S., said Olmert spokesman David Baker.

Later Monday, Abbas called the talks “successful” and said two working groups would be set up.

In July, President Bush called for a Mideast peace conference, and the U.S. wants Israel and the Palestinians to make significant progress in their talks ahead of it. The Palestinians hope to achieve the outlines of a final peace deal and warn that the conference would be a failure without such an announcement.

Olmert hopes to bolster Abbas and his Western-backed government in the West Bank after the Islamic Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip in June. Abbas’ subsequent ouster of Hamas from the Palestinian government has freed the moderate leader to pursue peace efforts with Israel.

Hamas took another step Monday to solidify its control over Gaza, announcing plans to appoint judges to replace the ones now in office. They refused to deal with the Hamas regime.

With their summit meetings becoming frequent, the two leaders appeared to be easing into a comfortable routine.