Trump invites Abbas to visit US
JERUSALEM // US president Donald Trump yesterday invited Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to visit the White House. The two leaders spoke by phone, their first contact since Mr Trump took office.
The duration of the conversation was unclear, but Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Mr Abbas, said Mr Trump had “extended an invitation to visit soon to discuss ways to resume the political process, stressing his commitment to a peace process that would lead to a real peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis”.
The conversation came amid Palestinian concerns about Washington’s more favourable approach towards Israel since Mr Trump became president.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Trump have spoken on the phone twice since the inauguration on January 20. Mr Netanyahu was also warmly received when he visited Washington last month.
It is not known what else Mr Trump and Mr Abbas discussed, but Palestinian officials indicated Mr Abbas would emphasise his concerns about Israeli settlement building on occupied land and the need for a two-state solution to the conflict.
During Mr Netanyahu’s visit Mr Trump was ambivalent about a two-state solution, the mainstay of US policy in the region for the past two decades.
“I’m looking at two-state and one- state, and I like the one that both parties like. I can live with either one,” he said, causing consternation across the Arab world and in many European capitals. The White House has since been more cautious, and there has been less talk of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. During the campaign, Mr Trump said he did not necessarily see Israeli settlements as an obstacle to peace and since his inauguration, Israel has announced plans to build at least 6,000 more settler homes.
During Mr Netanyahu’s visit, Mr Trump surprised him by asking him to “hold back on settlements for a little bit”.