In a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, President Donald J. Trump expressed his hope for a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis amid a deadlock in talks over a number of thorny issues.
“We’re looking seriously at peace and maybe ultimately peace in the whole of the Middle East. I think we have a pretty good shot, maybe the best shot ever,” Mr. Trump said on Wednesday.
Appreciating the tangled history of the complicated situation, the president said peace between Israel and the Palestinians is the toughest deal of all.
“I think we have a very, very good chance. I will do everything within my heart and within my soul to get that deal made,” the president said, wading into a conflict that no American president has mediated successfully.
Palestinian leader Abbas praised Mr. Trump’s efforts to reach a lasting deal in Palestinian-Israel conflict.
“This gives us the assurance and the confidence that we are on the very of real peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis,” he said.