Trump calls Abbas on eve of Jerusalem announcement

Trump called Abbas ahead of major speech on White House policy on Jerusalem. No details were given.

By: World Israel News Staff

US President Donald Trump called Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, just a day ahead of his anticipated announcement on US policy towards Jerusalem, AFP reported.

The official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, did not provide any details of the conversation.

A 1995 law requires that the US relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but provides the president with the option to postpone the move every six months on the grounds of national security. The latest deadline was Monday at midnight, and Trump did not sign a waiver postponing the move until June.

There is much speculation as to whether Trump will US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital during a speech at the National Defense University on Wednesday.

Palestinian leaders are warning that US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would ruin Trump’s efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

Abbas’s Fatah party called for mass protests “to confront this aggression not only against the Palestinians, but against Muslims and Christians all over the world.”