It hadn’t happened for a long time: contacts at the highest level between Israelis and Palestinians. A “rapprochement” which is mainly linked to the arrival of US President Joe Biden in the region from next Wednesday, July 13. An interview that arouses a lot of fears on the Israeli side, especially at the security level.
With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Michael Paul
An exceptional phone call between the Palestinian president and an Israeli head of government. The opportunity for Mahmoud Abbas to congratulate the new Israeli Prime Minister and for Yaïr Lapid to present his wishes for the Adha feast, the feast of sacrifice. The pair spoke of continued cooperation and the need to ensure peace and quiet, according to an Israeli source.
Towards a resumption of political dialogue?
Thursday evening, July 7, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz himself went to the Mouqataa, the seat of the Palestinian executive in Ramallah, for a meeting with the head of the Palestinian Authority. There also to ask for a period of calm at least during the visit of the American president next week.
For his part, Mahmoud Abbas was interested in a resumption of political dialogue. Israeli President Isaac Herzog also phoned his Palestinian counterpart on the occasion of the holiday, a move criticized by the right wing of the Israeli government. ” I suggest people get rid of this obsession with running and talking specifically to Abbas “, tweeted in particular the Minister of the Interior Ayelet Shaked. “ Thank God, thanks to the Abraham Accords we now have other interlocutors in the Arab world “, she added.
► To listen also: Sheikh Jarrah, a coveted piece of Palestine