Abbas on conversation with US President: Trump is committed to the two-state solution

The PA chairman said that the US President endorsed the two-state solution in their weekend conversation and then blamed Israel for a "continued racist attack."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: MARCH 12, 2017 19:58
Donald Trump (L) and Mahmoud Abbas (R) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Donald Trump (L) and Mahmoud Abbas (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that after speaking to US President Donald Trump on the phone over the weekend he is under the impression that the American president is committed to the two-state solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"The president promised his full commitment to peace and to the two-state solution, and we emphasized our permanent stand, that we are for peace based on two states according to international decisions, and that we are part of international legitimacy," Abbas reportedly said of his Friday conversation with Trump, of which he also said that he and his team are appreciative.
The PA leader also revealed that Trump has extended an invitation to the White House, telling Ramallah PA officials in a speech that he had promised Trump that he would continue efforts to promote a peace deal that would achieve long-lasting stability and security in the region.
Despite Abbas's seemingly positive message regarding a potential resolution to the conflict, he continued to point an accusatory finger in Israel's direction. According to different reports, Abbas said in his speech that "the occupation is the first setback [to] completing the Palestinian national task- the political, the financial, the administrative and the defense-related ones."
Abbas went on to emphasize that the Palestinian Authority will not remain silent in the face of what he termed as "Israel's continued racist attack," and promised that the Authority will resist in "ways of peace."
Finally, Abbas relayed the message he says he conveyed to President Trump in their conversation and wishes to convey to the international community at large: "It's time that a Palestinian state [situated] on the June 4, 1967 borders whose capital would be east Jerusalem be recognized by the world."
Yasser Okbi contributed to this report.