US President Donald Trump has held telephone talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, discussing the situation in the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the White House has confirmed.
"The President emphasized his personal belief that peace is possible and that the time has come to make a deal. The President noted that such a deal would not only give Israelis and Palestinians the peace and security they deserve, but that it would reverberate positively throughout the region and the world. He underscored that such a peace agreement must be negotiated directly between the two parties," the White House said in a Friday statement.
According to the release, Trump stressed that Washington will work closely both with Palestinian and Israeli leadership to make a peace deal possible.
"The President noted that the United States cannot impose a solution on the Israelis and Palestinians, nor can one side impose an agreement on the other," the White House said.
Earlier on Friday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed that during their telephone talks Trump had asked Abbas to meet him in Washington, DC. The White House confirmed the invitation in its Friday statement.
Last month, Trump said at a joint press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should delay building new settlements in the West Bank in order to reach a peace deal with Palestine.
SPUTNIK/MNA
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