Abbas Refuses To Hold Phone Talks With Trump - Reports

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas refused to hold a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump in light of the latter's statement about revealing a plan on settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinian Al-Watan Voice online news portal reported on Monday, citing a member Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, Ahmad Majdalani

GAZA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2020) Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas refused to hold a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump in light of the latter's statement about revealing a plan on settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinian Al-Watan Voice online news portal reported on Monday, citing a member Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, Ahmad Majdalani.

Last week, Trump told reporters that the White House would unroll the middle East peace plan this week before the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, scheduled for Tuesday and aimed at addressing the regional issues. In return, Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the Palestinian authorities would reject Trump's Middle East peace plan, known as the "deal of the century," if the proposed agreement violated international law.

Al-Watan Voice reported that according to Majdalani, Palestinian authorities do no hold any talks with Washington and Abbas refused to have phone talks with Trump.

The Palestinians became skeptical about the US mediation role in settling their conflict with Israel after Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state in late 2017. The decisions were met with outrage in the Arab world and criticism on the part of the United Nations. In addition, last November, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington no longer considers Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories to be illegal, a statement that contradicted not only a UNSC resolution on the issue but US' previous policy.