President Trump on Wednesday declared his ambition to facilitate “the final and most important” peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
“I would love to be a mediator, or an arbitrator, or a facilitator, and we will get this done,” Trump said at the White House during a press conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Then-Secretary of State John Kerry’s a high-profile effort to strike a deal over the last four years collapsed, ending with the United States faulting Israel for constructing new settlements even as Palestinian leaders incited violence against Israelis. Those difficulties were on display Wednesday, as Abbas claimed that the Palestinian Authority is teaching its people to seek peace while denouncing Israel as an occupying power.
“It’s about time for Israel to end its occupation of our people and of our land,” Abbas said through a translator. “We are aspiring and want to achieve our freedom, our dignity, and our right to self-determination, and we also want for Israel to recognize the Palestinian state just as the Palestinian people recognize the state of Israel.”
Abbas is regarded as an unreliable negotiator by Israel and some western leaders, given how the Palestinian Authority has encouraged violence against Israeli and American citizens. “If you serve 25 years in jail for committing an act of terrorism in Israel, you will get paid equivalent to a major-general in the Palestinian security forces,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters in February.
Abbas denied inciting terrorism. “We are raising our youth, our children, our grandchildren, on a culture and peace and we are endeavoring to bring about security, freedom and peace for our children to live like the other children in the world,” he said.
Trump credited Abbas for denouncing the Islamic State. “I know President Abbas has spoken out against ISIS and other terrorist groups,” he said. “We must continue to build our partnership with the Palestinian security forces to counter and defeat terrorism.”
Following the Palestinian leader’s remarks, Trump reiterated his optimism about peace in the region. “Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve always heard that perhaps the toughest deal to make is the deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” he said. “Let’s see if we can prove them wrong.”
