US President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas by phone on Friday, said a statement from Abbas’ office.
According to the statement, during the call Abbas congratulated Trump on his election victory and extended his best wishes for success as he prepares to begin his second term in the White House.
The PA chairman also emphasized his willingness “to work with President Trump to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on international principles,” said the PA’s readout of the conversation.
Trump, for his part, assured Abbas of his commitment to “stop the war” and expressed eagerness to collaborate with Abbas and other key stakeholders to “advance peace in the Middle East”, according to the PA.
Relations between Abbas and Trump soured during Trump’s first term as President. The PA chairman, angered by Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018, refused to consider the Trump administration an honest broker for negotiations with Israel.
Abbas also rejected Trump's proposal for peace with Israel, which was dubbed “The Deal of the Century”, and stated that the plan would be relegated to the "dustbin of history."
However, Abbas contacted Trump after the assassination attempt on him this past July and wrote to him, “It is with grave concern that I have received news and later on watched footage of your attempted assassination. Acts of violence must not have a place in a world of law and order.”
Trump later thanked Abbas in a post on his Truth Social platform, writing, “Mahmoud — so nice — thank you — everything will be good. Best wishes, Donald Trump.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)