U.S. President Donald Trump may use his upcoming visit to Israel to announce the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Quoting senior Palestinian officials, the report said preparations for a summit including the American president, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas were underway. According to the report, officials say Trump is likely to set a timetable of between nine months and a year for the peace talks. It was unclear whether Israel and the Palestinians are expected to reach a full agreement or merely mark significant breakthroughs during this time frame. Abbas, who met with Trump in Washington last week, said Tuesday that he is willing to meet Netanyahu under the auspices of the American president. “I stressed before President Trump that under his auspices I am open to cooperating and to meeting with the Israeli prime minister in order to make peace”, Abbas said. “I pledged our full cooperation in the war on terror and extremism in our region and across the globe”. Also on Tuesday, David Friedman, the new U.S. ambassador to Israel said he would arrive in the country on May 15 to begin his tenure. Friedman also said it was his hope to work from Jerusalem, amid the backdrop of Trump’s declaration of intent to transfer the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to the capital.
