Ex-Israel PM: Only Abbas can get peace deal
24 September, 2018
Mahmoud Abbas is the only Palestinian leader capable of striking a peace deal with Israel, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in comments broadcast Saturday after the two men met in Paris.
“The only person among the Palestinian people who is capable of doing it and who proved in the past that he is completely committed to do it is Dr. Mahmoud Abbas, and that’s why I have an immense respect for him,” he said.
He was speaking to the official television station of the Abbas-headed Palestinian Authority after their meeting.
U.S.-brokered peace talks have been frozen since 2014, and the Palestinian leadership cut contact with the White House after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December.
Palestinians accuse Trump of blatant bias in favor of Israel and say he is blackmailing them to force them to accept the White House’s terms.