Netanyahu and Abbas talk for first time in over a year

Netanyahu, who phoned Abbas to wish him happy Eid al-Fitr, said citizens of Israel want peace. Abbas reportedly called for an agreement within a year.

Ha’aretz

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke on the phone on Friday for the first time in over a year.

The call was initiated by Netanyahu, who sent his best wishes to Abbas for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the month of Ramadan.

Netanyahu told Abbas that the citizens of Israel want peace and that Israel will continue to act to ensure stability in the region, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

According to the Palestinian news agency, Abbas responded that it was important to reach a peace deal between the two nations in the coming year.

The last time the two spoke was in June 2014, following the abduction of three Jewish teenagers in the West Bank. That call was initiated by Abbas, who told Netanyahu that he condemned the abduction.

Tension between the two sides has been high since the collapse of peace talks over a year ago, the war In Gaza last summer and Palestinian moves in the international arena, particularly its application to the International Criminal Court.