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24 years after Oslo, Palestinians still bet on US role in peace process

Twenty-four years into the signing of the Oslo Accord, the Palestinian Authority continues to bet that the United States will sponsor the peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians.

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US President Donald Trump meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, Sept. 20, 2017. — REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Twenty-four years into the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinians are still betting that the United States will sponsor the peace process between Israel and Palestine. This was evidenced by President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech at the UN General Assembly meeting on Sept. 20.

“We will grant every chance for the efforts being undertaken by President Donald Trump and the Quartet and international community as a whole to achieve an historic agreement that brings the two-state solution to reality," Abbas said in his UN address.

Ahead of his speech, Abbas met with Trump in New York on Sept. 20 to discuss the possibility of resuming the negotiations. Abbas expressed his reliance on the United States, saying that his meeting with the US president showed that “Trump is serious about finding the deal of the century in the Middle East, be it this year or in the days to come.”

He added, “We are confident that President Trump is determined to achieve peace in the Middle East, and this gives us reassurances that we will reach a real peace.”

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