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US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday held a telephonic conversation with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, The Times of Israel reported, quoting a statement from Abbas's office.
Abbas congratulated Trump on his election victory this week and wished him good luck as he prepared for his second term in the White House, The Times of Israel reported. Abbas said he was ready "to work with President Trump to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on international legitimacy," The Times of Israel quoted the statement. Trump told Abbas that he "will work to stop the war" and that he looks forward to working with the leader and all concerned parties to "promote peace in the Middle East," as per The Times of Israel. Bishara Bahbah, who was the national chair of Arab Americans for Trump, told The Times of Israel he spoke with Abbas shortly after the call and he characterized the conversation as "excellent." "They discussed the issue of peace and the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities," Bahbah told the Times of Israel. Bahbah insisted that Abbas is looking forward to working with Trump, despite a very rocky relationship during the US president-elect's first term when Palestine severed relations with the US after Washington recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017. The two had not spoken since. "We're in a different year now. We all graduate from positions that we have taken. There is a need for an immediate cessation to the hostilities and a return to the negotiating table for a lasting peace," Bahbah said, as per Times of Israel. Earlier in the day, The Israel Defence Forces said they, along with the Israeli agency COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories: Judea and Samaria and towards the Gaza Strip) said it is preparing to open the Kissufim crossing. https://x.com/IDF/status/1854893166257648081 Kissufim is a small border crossing into southern Gaza near Kibbutz Kissufim, one of the sites attacked by Hamas in its terror assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, that sparked the crisis, VOA reported. Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a US State Department briefing on Thursday said that Israel's situation has improved, as per VOA. However, these developments came during US President Joe Biden's rule. (ANI)
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