Trump Announces Readiness to End Gaza War in Call With Abbas

President-elect Donald Trump held a phone call with the Palestinian Authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas’s office has reported. 

According to the announcement, Abbas expressed a desire “to work with President Trump to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on international legitimacy.”

Trump told Abbas that he would “work to stop the war,” and that he looks forward to working to “promote peace in the Middle East.”

The call represents a shift in Trump’s relations with the Palestinian Authority. During his first term, the group severed ties with the U.S. due to Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Until now, Trump had not since spoken with Abbas.