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Abbas says peace deal is possible under Trump

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The President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) met yesterday with the US President’s special envoy, who described it as a “far-reaching” discussion.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas hosted Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s special representative for international negotiations, at his Ramallah headquarters in the West Bank. The meeting was also attended by PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General and senior negotiator, Saeb Erekat and PA General Intelligence Services Chief Majid Faraj.

Al-Hayat reports that Greenblatt presented Abbas with a proposal for resuming talks with Israel, including a slowdown of Israeli settlement construction, including a commitment not to issue new construction tenders during the negotiation period.

The US Consulate in Jerusalem said Abbas ‘believes that under President Trump’s leadership a historic peace deal is possible, and that it will enhance security throughout the region”. Greenblatt described the meeting as “positive and far-reaching”. He said that he and Abbas had discussed peace efforts, boosting PA security forces and preventing incitement against Israel.

Greenblatt met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and Netanyahu’s office said following the meeting that they “reaffirmed the joint commitment” to a “genuine and lasting peace”.  Netanyahu said they had a “candid” conversation, while Yediot Ahronot reports that they specifically discussed the possibility of an alternative settlement for former-Amona residents.

Before returning to the United States, Greenblatt is will meet Israel’s opposition leader Isaac Herzog, in Jerusalem. Some media reports suggest that he will meet again with Netanyahu before leaving the country.

The residents of the recently evacuated West Bank outpost of Amona yesterday sent Prime Minister Netanyahu a letter demanding that construction begin on an alternative settlement for their use, as agreed before their evacuation. According to Yediot Ahronot, the letter said that unless work begins by the end of March, “we will have no alternative but to… build the new settlement ourselves”.