ABBAS READY TO MEET ISRAEL PM

Trump expected to visit Bethlehem soon: Palestine prez

ramallah — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that Donald Trump was expected to visit the Palestinian territories “soon” and he was ready to meet Israel’s prime minister as part of the US president’s peace efforts.

Trump is expected in Israel later this month as part of his first foreign trip and the Palestinian president said “we are looking forward to his visit soon to Bethlehem” in the occupied West Bank, with speculation it will occur on May 23.

“We told him that we were ready to collaborate with him and meet the Israeli PM (Benjamin Netanyahu) under his auspices to build peace,” Abbas told reporters during talks with German President Frank-Wal-

We told him (Trump) that we were ready to collaborate with him and meet the Israeli PM (Benjamin Netanyahu) under his auspices to build peace Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine

ter Steinmeier. Abbas met Trump in Washington last week for their first face-to-face talks.

Trump announced last week that his first foreign trip as president will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican — the spiritual centres of Islam, Judaism and Catholicism. The stop in Israel is expected on May 22, though it has not been officially confirmed.

Germany’s president said that it’s “truly urgent” to start moving towards a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Steinmeier said much time has already been spent on efforts to set up a state of Palestine alongside Israel. “In our view there is no other solution”, and that “it’s high time to work on the requirements for it”, he added.

A senior Trump aide last week did not rule out the possibility of a presidential visit to the West Bank, but said that it was likely to be contingent on security and Abbas taking concrete steps toward peace. — AFP, AP > SEE EDIT