On Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority president met with Donald Trump, after which the two leaders delivered public statements to assembled reporters. David Horovitz comments on the proceedings:
The U.S. president, who was expected to be far tougher on the Palestinians than his predecessor Barack Obama, could hardly have been more warm, gracious, and welcoming. . . . President Trump . . . made clear throughout his brief remarks that he regards Abbas as a central, viable part of the solution [to the Israel-Palestinian conflict].
He hailed Abbas for signing the Oslo Accords on the White House lawn 24 years ago, recalling that his guest was a signatory to that first agreement and hoping that the PA president would, in due course, be able to sign a final, permanent accord.
Clearly placing Abbas on the good side of the battle against terrorism, he noted that Abbas has spoken out against terror, and he enthused about what he called the “unbelievable,” “beautiful” relationship that Abbas’s security forces have with their Israeli counterparts.
He certainly warned that there could be “no lasting peace” unless the Palestinian leadership spoke in a unified voice against violence and hatred. But that was the mildest of upbraids; there was no direct accusation that Abbas has been doing anything wrong. . . . Trump made clear that he wants a peace deal, and will do everything in his power to broker one, but won’t impose it. Abbas could not have looked more content.
Read more on Times of Israel: http://www.timesofisrael.com/trumps-welcome-for-abbas-is-so-warm-he-might-have-been-hosting-an-israeli-leader/