Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday expressed willingness to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under the auspices of renewed peace talks initiated by the Trump administration.
“I am ready to meet the prime minister of Israel anytime in Washington under the patronage of President Trump,” Abbas told the Japanese news outlet Asahi Shimbun.
Abbas also commented on potential Palestinian demands for a freeze in construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem prior to commencing peace talks, saying, “The question … before talking about any peace process, is to create the right environment for peace to come.”
“This will be impossible as far as Israel’s colonial-settlement enterprises continues,” he added.
The PA leader’s allusion to creating preconditions prior to beginning peace talks directly defies Netanyahu’s numerous calls for Abbas to begin negotiations without preconditions.
Abbas will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House May 3. {eoa}
This article was originally published at JNS.org. Used with permission.
