Abbas asks Trump for assistance in establishing a Palestinian state

Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday issued an official statement congratulating US President Donald Trump on the occasion of his inauguration.

“We are ready to work with you to achieve peace during your term, in accordance with the two-state solution, based on international legitimacy (decisions by representative institutions),” Abbas said.

He stated that according to his vision, the diplomatic solution should lead to “the State of Palestine and the State of Israel living side by side in security and peace,” emphasizing the need to “achieve security and stability in the region and the world.”

Trump and his Vice President JD Vance were sworn into office on Monday, after four years of the presidency of former US President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris.

Relations between Abbas and Trump soured during Trump’s first term as President. The PA chairman, angered by Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018, refused to consider the Trump administration an honest broker for negotiations with Israel.

Abbas also rejected Trump’s proposal for peace with Israel, which was dubbed “The Deal of the Century”, and stated that the plan would be relegated to the “dustbin of history.”

However, Abbas contacted Trump after the assassination attempt on him this past July and wrote to him, “It is with grave concern that I have received news and later on watched footage of your attempted assassination. Acts of violence must not have a place in a world of law and order.”

Trump later thanked Abbas in a post on his Truth Social platform, writing, “Mahmoud — so nice — thank you — everything will be good. Best wishes, Donald Trump.”