President-elect Donald Trump appears serious about achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace — the so-called “Deal of the Century” — that he pursued during his first term, which resulted in the Abraham Accords but did not bring the Palestinians aboard.
Massad Boulos, Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, has been reaching out to Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, according to the Times of Israel, in the hopes of renewing ties. He also ensured that Trump and Abbas exchanged letters after Trump survived an assassination attempt in July.
The Times of Israel reported:
Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law Massad Boulos, a key Arab surrogate for the US president-elect, met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September, a senior Palestinian official tells The Times of Israel.
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Abbas emphasized his willingness to work with Trump in order to reach a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Boulos and Bishara Bahbah, who heads Arab Americans for Trump, helped orchestrate a letter Abbas sent to Trump wishing him well after a July assassination attempt.
Boulos has also been tapped to lead negotiations with Lebanon on ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah there.
Abbas had a rocky relationship with Trump. When Trump was elected in 2016, the Palestinians were shocked and had no contacts in the incoming administration. While Trump met with Abbas after taking office, he grew furious with the Palestinian Authority (PA) for funding terror. He signed the Taylor Force Act, cutting off U.S. taxpayer funds to the PA while it still subsidized terror, and closed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington, D.C.
Trump invited Palestinians into the Abraham Accords, with the incentive of $50 billion in promised investment aid. The Palestinians refused.
Trump is not likely to pursue a “two-state solution,” especially in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack of October 7, 2023. However, he may try to achieve a peace agreement on an alternative basis.
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he had spoken with Trump directly three times since Trump won the U.S. presidential election last week, and that the two saw “eye-to-eye.”
In a statement (translated by the Government Press Office), Netanyahu said: “In recent days, I have spoken three times with US President-elect Donald Trump. These were very good and important talks designed to further enhance the steadfast bond between Israel and the US. We see eye-to-eye on the Iranian threat in all its aspects, and on the dangers they reflect. We also see the great opportunities facing Israel, in the area of peace and its expansion, and in other areas.”
Recently, Qatar also took moves to expel Hamas terrorist leaders from its borders, and Saudi Arabia is said to be moving back toward a normalization deal with Israel.
The “Deal of the Century” may, in fact, soon be a possibility.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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