Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated Trump on his election victory this week and wished him good luck in a phone call as he prepares for his second term in the White House, according to a statement issued by his office. Abbas expressed his readiness “to work with President Trump to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on international legitimacy,” the Palestinian readout said, reported the Times of Israel. Trump, in turn, told Abbas that he “will work to stop the war” in Gaza between Israel and Hamas and that he looks forward to working with the Palestinian leader and all concerned parties to “promote peace in the Middle East,” according to the Palestinian Authority.
Bishara Bahbah, who was the national chair of Arab Americans for Trump, told the Times of Israel he spoke with Abbas, shortly after the Presidents’ call, characterizing the conversation as “excellent.” “They discussed the issue of peace and the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities,” Bahbah recalled Abbas having told him.
