Labor Party MK and candidate for the party's leadership Erel Margalit met Thursday with senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub in an attempt to jumpstart the stalled peace process.
"I hope that Margalit and others will help us calm the region and the unrest in the street before it is too late," Rajoub said.
During the meeting, Rajoub revealed that US President Donald Trump and his administration had promised the Palestinian Authority the "ultimate deal" and emphasized that the White House viewed the PA as a strategic partner for advancing a political settlement with Israel.
Rajoub also claimed that "most Palestinians believe that the two-state solution is the only solution, and that we, Israelis and Palestinians, must change the discourse and change from enemies to neighbors. And Trump can and must resolve the conflict. It is also on Israel [to resolve the conflict]."
MK Margalit presented Rajoub and his staff with an economic plan to establish three economic zones for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and stressed that "trust must be restored between the two peoples. Netanyahu made sure to destroy the trust that was once here, and we must bring it back."
"The Israeli public must understand that there is no such thing as a regional arrangement without a political agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. That is the core issue, and it cannot be ignored," Margalit said. "An agreement with the Palestinians is in Israel's strategic interests. The time has come to stop being afraid and to talk about peace."
Margalit also addressed the ongoing hunger strike by hundreds of terrorists in Israeli prisons. "Netanyahu and [Public Security Minister Gilad] Erdan have ignored the recommendations of the Shin Bet in this area based on nonsense, such as [the recommendation to install] public phones for the prisoners. These aren't leaders. They're irresponsible pyromaniacs."