Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will come to Washington on May 3 for a meeting with President Trump, the White House announced Wednesday.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Abbas will meet with Trump next month in order to continue talks about a long-lasting peace with Israel.
“They will use the visit to reaffirm the commitment of both the U.S. and Palestinian leadership to pursuing and ultimately concluding a conflict-ending settlement between the Palestinians and Israel,” Spicer said.
Trump has taken a hard pro-Israel stance. During the transition, he slammed President Obama for having the U.S. abstain from a United Nations vote that condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
It’s unclear where Trump stands on a solution to the long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. This year, Trump said during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. isn’t committed to a two-state solution in the region, a reversal of long-standing American foreign policy.
Trump said he’s looking for a solution to the conflict that makes both parties happy, whether that’s one state or two states.
“I’m very happy with the one that both parties like,” Trump said in February. “I can live with either one. I thought for a while the two-state looked like it may be the easier of the two, but honestly, if Bibi and if the Palestinians — if Israel and the Palestinians are happy, I’m happy with the one they like the best.”
