WASHINGTON (EJP)—''There cannot be lasting peace unless the Palestinian leaders speak in a unified voice against incitement to violence and hate. There's such hatred,’’ US President Donald Trump said as he met with Palestinian Authority President at the White House in Washington.
‘’Hopefully there won't be such hatred for very long. All children of God must be taught to value and respect human life, and condemn all of those who target the innocent,’’ he added.
It was the first meeting between President Trump and Abbas.
White House sources confirmed that President Trump also urged Abbas in private to cease payments to families of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
In a press conference after their meeting President Trump talked in broad terms about how the US could help Israelis and Palestinians reach a peace agreement. The President was clear that only by working together can the parties reach an agreement but he concluded “we will get this done”. He said he will "do whatever is necessary" to reach a Mideast peace agreement, that he believes that such an agreement will be as difficult as people think and that "there's a very, very good chance" of bringing Israel and the Palestinians together.
"We’ll start a process which hopefully will lead to peace," Trump said. "Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve always heard that perhaps the toughest deal to make is the deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Let's see if we can prove them wrong."
Trump praised the Palestinian Authority for their work on security coordination with Israel and offered to help boost potential economic opportunities for Palestinians.
In his own speech, Abbas focused on specific demands that the PA will be sticking to in regard to the possibility of peace with Israel: namely, that Israel returns to its 1967 borders, that Israel end the "50-year" occupation and that a two-state solution be considered with Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.
Still, Abbas stated that he believes it is possible to create peace between both parties, adding that "We are coming into a new opportunity a new horizon that would enable us to bring about peace."
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office had no immediate reaction to the Trump Abbas statements. But Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely immediately dismissed Trump's announcement of a new peace process.
"Abu Mazen arrived in Washington as he continues to transfers money to the families of terrorists. Its' clear to anyone who is intelligent that Abu Mazen isn't interested in peace," she said. Those payments along with the incitement in the Palestinian textbooks prove that he is not interested in striking a deal with Israel, she added.
She also took issue with Abbas' call to end the occupation. "The nation of Israel isn't an occupier in its land. We have been deeply rooted to our land for 3,000 years and we will continue to settle the land," Hotovely said.