Former President Donald Trump showed off a recent letter from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday night and touted his ability to bring peace in the Middle East just days before he is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Former President Donalt Trump has previously praised Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas for ... [+]
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump shared Abbas’ letter, which condemned the assassination attempt against the former president and said: “Acts of violence must not have a place in a world of law and order.”Abbas referred to the assassination attempts as “acts of weakness” and offered his condolences to the families of those who were killed or injured in the shooting.
Abbas referred to the assassination attempts as “acts of weakness” and offered his condolences to the families of those who were killed or injured in the shooting.
The former president appears to have replied to Abbas’ letter with a handwritten note saying: “Mahmoud, so nice. Thank you. Everything will be good, Best wishes. Donald Trump.”
In his post showing off the letter, Trump said he was looking forward to meeting Netanyahu on Friday and “even more forward to achieving Peace in the Middle East!”
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The letter from Abbas appears to be an effort to reset ties between Trump and himself, which were severely damaged in 2017 after the former president’s administration formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved its embassy there. Earlier in 2017, Trump hosted Abbas at the White House and the former president talked about brokering “the most important peace agreement” between the Palestinians and Israelis. However, after recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Abbas criticized Washington for “abdicating its role as a peace mediator” and severed engagement with the Trump administration on key matters. Despite this, Trump praised Abbas in a 2021 interview with Axios, saying “I thought he was terrific…He was almost like a father. Couldn't have been nicer. I thought he wanted to make a deal more than Netanyahu.” In the same interview, Trump was far less charitable in describing Netanyahu, and said: “I don't think Bibi ever wanted to make peace.”