Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

A US National Security Council spokesperson blasted as “untrue” a report in Israel’s Hadashot 2 which claimed that President Trump offered PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this month.

“The Channel 2 report that President Trump requested a meeting with President Abbas is untrue,” said NSC Spokesperson Garrett Marquis.

Channel 2 unfortunately continues to publish misleading reports without checking their veracity.”

Marquis also responded to a report in Israel Hayom which quoted a senior PA official close to Abbas as saying that the PA has conditioned the resumption of direct negotiations with Israel on President Trump’s firing of special envoy Jason Greenblatt. The official cited Greenblatt’s recent article in which he criticized PA leadership for refusing to renew talks with Israel and refusing to consider the White House’s planned framework for a final status agreement.

“Rather than engage in personal attacks against Jason Greenblatt or other members of the administration, we continue to hope that the Palestinian Authority will engage with the US positively and constructively to advance our mutual goal of a better future for the Palestinian people,” Marquis said.