Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called President Shimon Peres on Thursday to wish him and all Israelis a happy holiday and New Year. "Happy holiday and a Happy New Year to you and the entire Israeli nation," Abbas said according to a statement released by the president's bureau.
Peres thanked his Palestinian counterpart and said: "I know the past year has been a difficult year, but we mustn't give up… we must continue to strive for peace."
Abbas stressed that the Palestinian people also yearned for that and that he hoped the upcoming year would be the year of peace.
In spite of the strained relations between the Palestinian president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ,Abbas and Peres have a good relationship and chat from time to time.
Attila Somfalvi contributed to the report