Palestinian President Abbas ‘ready to work’ with Trump on two-state solution

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration on Monday and said he was ready to work for peace with Israel based on a two-state solution.

“We are ready to work with you to achieve peace during your term, based on a two-state solution,” Abbas said in a statement published by the official Wafa news agency.

Abbas said it would mean “the State of Palestine and the State of Israel living side-by-side in security and peace, ensuring security and stability in our region and the world”.

In his first presidential term, from 2017 to 2021, Trump’s administration put together a peace proposal which would have involved Israel annexing much of the occupied West Bank while handing over some territory to a future Palestinian state in return.

The Palestinians strongly rejected the proposal, and Israel abandoned its annexation plans when Gulf Arab states normalised ties with it under US-brokered agreements.

Trump has taken credit for securing a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Gaza war, with his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff taking part in negotiations that finally produced an agreement that came into effect on Sunday.