The acting Israeli prime minister spoke Friday with Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time since he took office on Friday, Yair Lapid’s office said.
According to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, this conversation with Abbas took place due to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice). EITHER The Palestinian leader, in turn, congratulated Yair Lapid on his new position in the Israeli government.
The same source specified that, during the conversation, the two leaders “spoke about the continuity of cooperation and the need to guarantee tranquility and calm”after several months of instability in the area, where more than 70 people have died in violent acts since the end of March.
On the other hand, Abbas also spoke this Friday with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, with whom he discussed the preparations for the visit of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to the region next week.
These two talks followed a Thursday night meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah between Abbas and Israeli Defense Minister Beny Gantz, which also focused on Biden’s visit and preventing violent incidents in the coming days. .
During that meeting, they “discussed regional security and civilian challenges” and “agreed to continue security coordination and avoid activities that could cause instability,” according to Gantz’s office.
These talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders began in the middle of last year, following the formation of the recent Israeli government, marking the end of more than 10 years without high-level official talks between the two sides.
Local media reported this Friday that the Israeli authorities fear a new wave of violence during Biden’s visit, which will take place between the 13th and 15th of this month and will include meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
The focus of the US president’s visit, however, should be on regional issues, also considering that, after passing through Jerusalem, he will travel to Saudi Arabia, without expecting major announcements about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Source: Observadora
