Abbas ready for ‘historic’ peace deal under Trump

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday that he is ready for an “historic” peace deal with Israel under US President Donald Trump’s patronage, the Anadolu Agency reported.

During a speech delivered in the Spanish parliament, Abbas renewed his calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, where the Palestinians can live peacefully side by side with the state of Israel.

Trump’s administration has said that it is seeking to revive the peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis after a stalemate of more than three years.

In April 2014, the peace talks stopped after the Israeli occupation government refused to release the third batch of veteran Palestinian prisoners and conceded the notion of the two-state solution.

Abbas called for the Spanish government to recognise Palestine. “It is not reasonable that a states which believes in the two-state solution only recognises one state – Israel.”

Previously, the Spanish parliament voted for a proposal calling for the Spanish government to recognise the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders.

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Hailing the Spanish position’s suppor for Palestinian rights, Abbas said: “We hold hopes on the individual Spanish role, as well as on its role as part of the EU to support the national Palestinian rights and a fair solution for the Palestinian issue based on the resolutions of the international community.”

Abbas is in Spain on an official visit which is due to come to a close today.