Donald Trump brings hope: Mahmoud Abbas on Israeli-Palestine conflict

Visiting Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump brings in "hope" towards finding a solution to the decades old Israeli-Palestine conflict.

"Mr President, with you we have hope," Abbas told Trump in the Roosevelt room of the White House in the presence of a pool of reporters as he two leaders met for the first time.

The visit from Abbas follows Trump's talks more than two months ago with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Similar to his remarks alongside Netanyahu, Trump today framed the possibility of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians with his experience in business, saying it is "perhaps the toughest deal to make", but added "let us see if we can prove them wrong".
 
Trump welcomed Abbas to the White House and recommitted himself to peace in the region where the top priority for him right now is defeat of the Islamic State.

Abbas told Trump that his goal is a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, and said the president provides a new opportunity for a peace deal.

"We believe that we are capable and able to bring about success to our efforts because, Mr President, you have the determination and you have the desire to see it become to fruition and to become successful. And we, Mr President, we are coming into a new opportunity, a new horizon that would enable us to bring about peace in that regard," he added.

"Mr President, as far as a permanent solution, we believe that this is possible and able to be resolved. I am firmly believing that this is possibly — we are able to resolve it. And in that, I also believe that we will be able to resolve the issue of the refugees and the issue of the prisoners," Abbas said.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is rooted in a dispute over land claimed by Jews and Palestinians, who seek self- determination.