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Abbas congratulates new Labour leader Gabbay

[ssba]

The Palestinian Authority (PA) President telephoned the newly elected leader of Israel’s Labour Party yesterday to congratulate him on his election.

During the 20 minute phone call they discussed the peace process and its current impediments, including inflammatory content about Israel in Palestinian school textbooks.

Labour leader Avi Gabbay urged PA President Mahmoud Abbas to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a step towards building trust between the two leaders. He said: “Peace doesn’t occur in international meetings, or regional conferences. It begins with creating trust and goodwill between both parties.”

In return, Abbas stressed the importance of any solution to the conflict incorporating previous international resolutions.

Gabbay has stated his belief that the “conflict can be resolved” on his personal website, saying: “we need brave and determined leadership that’s not engaged in spins, incitement and dividing the people.”

Also yesterday, Netanyahu met the US Special Representative for International Negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, the lead official in the Trump administration working to restart the Middle East peace process, along with US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer.

Greenblatt arrived in Israel on Monday for a series of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, including Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett.