Warm. Abbas
Photo: Reuters
Friendly. Netanyahu
Photo: Reuters
Netanyahu, Abbas speak for 1st time since induction
Palestinian president offers Israeli premier holiday wishes in conversation described as 'warm, friendly.' State officials say call may indicate PA willing to negotiate with new government despite previous contrasting statements
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas telephoned
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday,
for the first time since the latter was inducted in office, and offered him the Palestinian Authority's wishes for Passover.
The call was the first conversation the two have had since Netanyahu was elected to head the new Israeli government. The prime minister spoke about the two leaders' past cooperation and said that he would like to see them cooperate in the future so as to advance the Israeli-Palestinian
peace process.
Sources in the Prime Minister's Office described the conversation as "warm and friendly."
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The Palestinian president replied by saying both people must strive for peace.
State officials said that Abbas' call was indicative of his willingness to deal with Netanyahu, despite his previous statements concerning the new Israeli government.
The call, added the sources, may be the first sign of the relations between the Israeli and Palestinian governments "defrosting" after Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in January.
During his last days in office, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert accused Abbas of cowering when faced with a concrete Israeli offer entailing a withdrawal from 93% of the West Bank and the evacuation of 60,000 settlers, which would have facilitated the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Despite the international community's pleas, Netanyahu has yet to declare that his government would be committed to the two-state solution.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman went on the records as saying that Israel would no longer be bound by the Annapolis peace process and the prime minister's messages to the media so far suggested he intended on reevaluating the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
