Jerusalem – Abbas Phones Peres, Netanyahu to Wish Them Happy New Years

Jerusalem – Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to wish them a happy Rosh Hashana.

During their conversation, Abbas told Peres that [the Palestinian people] want a peace agreement with Israel and hope that Israeli inhabitants will be able to achieve a peace that will include all Arab nations.”

For his part, Peres told Abbas that, “No one is more fitting than you to achieve peace for your people and the entire region.”

He also wished Abbas and Muslims well on Eid al-Fitr.

Before Rosh Hashana, Abbas rejected Netanyahu’s talk about an “historic compromise” and said there would be no compromises on core issues such as Jerusalem and borders.

Abbas also reiterated his rejection of Netanyahu’s demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. “We’re not talking about a Jewish state and we won’t talk about one,” Abbas said in an interview with the semi-official Al-Quds newspaper. “For us, there is the state of Israel and we won’t recognize Israel as a Jewish state.”