In Meeting with Trump's Representative, Abbas Emphasized the Possibility of Middle East Peace

Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, emphasized that "a peace agreement between Palestinians and Israelis is possible" during a meeting with Jason Greenblatt, Donald Trump's special envoy to Israel and the Palestinian territories. According to reports, Mr. Greenblatt met and discussed with the President of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah on Tuesday, March 24. The U.S. consulate in Jerusalem stated in a press release regarding this meeting that the President of the Palestinian Authority reiterated his commitment to combating violence, terrorism, and incitement by Palestinians against Israel. Furthermore, according to the consulate's statement, Mahmoud Abbas spoke of "readiness to cooperate with the U.S. in resuming peace talks." Jason Greenblatt informed Mr. Abbas that Donald Trump is prepared to assist in achieving a resolution between Israelis and Palestinians through direct dialogue. Reports indicate that this U.S. special envoy also told Mahmoud Abbas that U.S. financial aid to Palestinians will continue. Previously, some Republicans had called for a halt or suspension of U.S. financial aid to Palestinians until "violence and incitement by Palestinians" against Israel ceased. Nevertheless, the U.S. government recently allocated an additional $220 million from financial commitments finalized by former President Barack Obama to the Palestinian Authority. Additionally, Palestinian media reported that Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet Donald Trump at the White House next month. Mr. Greenblatt arrived in the region on Monday evening, March 23, and initially met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Israeli media reported that the meeting between Netanyahu and Greenblatt, which also included Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., lasted over five hours. According to Haaretz, the U.S. special envoy is expected to meet with Netanyahu again before leaving the region. Simultaneously, Israeli and Palestinian media have suggested that a specific framework for a new round of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations may be established under talks hosted by Jordan. Years have passed since the last political negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. During the long stagnation of talks, a bloody military operation erupted in the summer of 2014 between the Israeli army and Hamas militants in Gaza. From late September 2015 until recently, a series of street violence by Palestinians led to the deaths of over forty Israelis, which provoked severe Israeli responses resulting in the deaths of over 250 Palestinians.