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Palestinian Abbas says Middle East peace closer with Trump engaged

21 September 2017 03:20 (UTC +04:00)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed optimism on Wednesday about reaching a peace deal with Israel this year and said U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to the issue would help create the “deal of the century” in the region, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Abbas met Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders in New York and thanked him for his support.

“If this is any proof to anything ... it attests to the seriousness of your Excellency, Mr. President, to achieve the deal of the century in the Middle East during this year or in the coming months, God willing,” Abbas said through an interpreter.

Trump said his team of advisers was working very hard on the issue, as were Israel, Saudi Arabia and other nations.

“I think we have a very, very good chance, and I certainly will devote everything within my heart and within my soul to get that deal made,” Trump said.

“We’re at a very important juncture, there’s a small period of time, and we’re going to see what we can do. There can be no promises, obviously,” he said.