Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud AbbasReuters

Nabil Shaath, who serves as Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas's foreign policy advisor, said on Thursday that Abbas will visit the United States at the invitation of President Donald Trump.

The meeting between the two is expected to deal with the role that the United States will play in establishing peace in the Middle East.

The meeting between Abbas and Trump was first discussed during a telephone conversation they held earlier this month.

Following that conversation, Abbas praised Trump and said he brings “hope” for peace, even though PA officials had previously criticized Trump for his failure to stop Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria.

Shaath said in a statement on Thursday that the PA's position is clear and Abbas intends to hold a positive and deep dialogue with Trump based on the two-state solution, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, a solution to the “Palestinian refugee problem” and a comprehensive peace between the two sides.

He further said that a senior PA delegation would visit the United States to prepare for Abbas's visit, which will follow Trump's recent meetings with other Arab leaders , including Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.