Trump optimistic about Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

TEL AVIV, Israel (Kurdistan24) – After arriving in Israel on Monday following his visit to Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump said he was “hopeful” of peace and stability in the Middle East.

President Trump is expected to hold separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as part of his first overseas trip since being elected.

The US President will also travel to Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, according to Reuters.

PM Netanyahu and his wife were at the Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to greet Trump and first lady Melania after the US leader arrived directly from Riyadh.

“During my travels in recent days, I have found new reasons for hope,” Trump said upon his arrival.

“We have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region and its people,” he continued.

President Trump underlined that the international community must work together to “[defeat] terrorism and [create] a future of harmony, prosperity, and peace.”

The Israeli PM welcomed Trump’s desire for peace in a statement delivered at the airport.

“May your first trip to our region prove to be a historic milestone on the path toward reconciliation and peace,” Netanyahu declared.

The US President vowed to work toward a peace deal between Israel and Palestine, despite negotiations collapsing between the two in 2014.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dismissed suggestions of there being a three-way meeting between Trump, Netanyahu, and Abbas, reported Reuters.

Trump’s overseas trip will end on Saturday after he travels to the Vatican, Brussels, and Sicily.

Editing by G. H. Renaud