Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke by telephone today (Friday) with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and congratulated him on the occasion of the Feast of Sacrifice. Abu Mazen also congratulated Lapid on his appointment as Prime Minister. A visit to Biden in the area next week.
Although the conversation was not organized by the Americans, officials on their behalf recently examined the possibility of such a conversation before Biden’s visit. This is a significant event, after the last time the Israeli prime minister had a conversation with Abu Mazen was about five years ago. To have such a conversation.
President Yitzhak Herzog also spoke with Abu Mazen today, and asked to be congratulated on the occasion of the Feast of Sacrifice. Among other things, the two discussed the preparations for next week’s visit by the President of the United States. In addition, Defense Minister Bnei Gantz also met with Abu Mazen in Ramallah yesterday, and also congratulated him on the occasion of the Feast of Sacrifice.
After their meeting, Ganz wrote on his Facebook account yesterday: “I met tonight with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. The meeting was held on the occasion of the Feast of Sacrifice, as well as for security and civilian coordination ahead of US President Biden’s visit. The meeting was conducted in a good spirit and in a positive atmosphere. We discussed the security and civilian challenges in the area, we discussed the complexity of the coming period in Israel and we agreed to continue close security coordination and to avoid measures that would harm stability. “
Sources in Israel clarified that the talks held by senior Israeli officials in recent days with Abu Mazen do not herald any significant change in the policy vis-à-vis him, but were made as part of the joint effort to ensure security peace until after Biden’s visit.
The Likud said in response to the events: “After a decade in which Netanyahu removed the Palestinian issue from the world agenda, Lapid and Ganz are returning to the center of the world stage Abu Mazen who never stops inciting the murder of Israelis. Lapid closed a government with the Muslim Brotherhood “A strong and stable Likud-led Likud will preserve the State of Israel and restore security and hope to all Israeli citizens.”
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked attacked the conduct of senior Israeli officials’ talks with Abu Mazen: “Suggests getting rid of the obsession of running to greet Abu Mazen, who turned to the Hague tribunal to prosecute IDF soldiers.”
MK Miki Zohar (Likud) spoke sharply on the issue, and took the opportunity to attack the government ahead of the election: “Abu Mazen supports terrorism, funds terrorists and denies the Holocaust. The honor Torch and Gantz do for him is the loss of the red lines. “With God and with your help, we will restore national honor to Israel.”
Religious Zionism stated: “For a year now, we have been warning that Lapid and Gantz are preparing the ground beneath the surface to return Oslo to the center of the agenda. Now with Bennett’s introduction to Prime Minister’s Office, Lapid is moving to the open axis, preparing tributes for Biden’s visit, and he and Ganz are on a pilgrimage to Abu Mazen, who continues to persecute IDF fighters in The Hague and pay salaries to terrorist families. Lapid and Gantz must not be allowed to remain in office, the right must do everything to win with God’s help in the elections and maintain Israel’s security and integrity. “
MK Levin: “While supporting and financing terrorism, Abu Mazen continues to pay salaries to the families of terrorists every month, the transition prime minister, Lapid, sees fit to return his name to the forefront of the world stage. In one phone call, Lapid destroyed the work of more than a decade of Netanyahu’s governments, which made Abu Mazen irrelevant. “
On the other hand, the Minister for Regional Cooperation, Issawi Farage, welcomed the talks with Abu Mazen: “An important day that began with Defense Minister Ganz’s meeting with Abu Mazen in Ramallah, and continues with the first telephone conversation between Prime Minister Lapid and the Palestinian Authority president.” He added in his response that “this government has replaced the policy of disregard with dialogue, promoting dialogue between the leaders, which is the basis for calm and ultimately also for political progress.”