Israeli and Palestinian leaders first phone call in years

• Yair Lapid and Mahmoud Abbas spoke by phone Friday morning.
• Abbas congratulated Lapid on becoming the Israeli prime minister.
• The Palestinian leader also wished him well for Eid al-Adha, which begins Friday.

Yair Lapid and Mahmoud Abbas spoke by phone Friday morning. It’s the first phone call between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in five years.

Abbas congratulated Lapid on becoming prime minister, and Lapid wished Abbas well for Eid al-Adha, which begins Friday

Wafa reported that President Abbas hoped for “peace and stability” in the region.

Naftali Bennett, Lapid’s predecessor as prime minister, never spoke to Abbas. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longtime leader, reportedly last spoke to the Palestinian leader in 2017.

However, Benny Gantz showed Abbas how the new Israeli government changed its approach Thursday night.

Wafa said the Palestinian leader “emphasized creating a political horizon and sticking to signed agreements” In the 1990s, both sides reached these agreements.

Gantz’s office said the meeting was about “security and civilian coordination” before Biden’s visit.

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The Palestinian leader hasn’t met a US president since 2017. The White House hopes the meeting will improve US-Palestine relations, which have worsened under Trump.

Abbas met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Algeria earlier this week. The meeting was part of Algeria’s 60th-anniversary celebrations, according to state media.

Abbas’s Fatah party and Gaza’s Islamist Hamas have had tense relations for years. Both groups were at war in June 2007. Violence caused the Palestinian Authority to lose Gaza.