Trump tells Abbas 'very good chance' of Israeli-Palestinian peace deal

US President Donald Trump has said there is 'a very good chance' of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, during talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas

President Donald Trump shakes hands with with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House
President Donald Trump shakes hands with with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House

Donald Trump has committed the United States to helping to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, telling visiting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that there is “a very good chance” of getting it done.

Trump spoke after welcoming Abbas to the White House for a meeting aimed at relaunching talks that have failed repeatedly to resolve the decades-old conflict. “I’ve always heard that perhaps the toughest deal to make is the deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” Trump said. “Let’s see if we can prove them wrong.”

Speaking through a translator, Abbas echoed Trump’s upbeat tone: “We believe that we can be true partners to you to bring about a historic peace under your stewardship.”

Abbas told his US counterpart he wants peace based on a longstanding plan for a two-state solution along pre-1967 boundaries.

On Tuesday, the Hamas movement, dominant in the Gaza area, released a new policy paper accepting the idea of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders. The new document also states the Islamist movement it is not seeking war with the Jewish people – only with Zionism that drives the occupation of Palestine.

Abbas also spoke positively about the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, in which all Arab states offered peace to Israel after the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Abbas said that it was time for Israel "to end the occupation of our people" and that Trump's presidency represented a historic opportunity for peace between the two peoples.

Trump added that an agreement cannot be imposed on the two sides by any foreign country, including the United States, and would have to be negotiated directly between them. The United States under his leadership, however, would "do whatever is necessary" and act as a "mediator, arbitrator and facilitator" to help the two sides in their negotiations.

 "We will get this done," he insisted.