Air warms between Israel, Palestinian Authority with rare phone calls
The phone calls from President Isaac Herzog and Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas indicate a change of approach by Israel’s new government.
In honor of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday July 19, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received phone calls from Israelis of the highest ranks: President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev.
It was Herzog and Abbas' second conversation in 10 days. The first took place the day after Herzog was sworn in on July 11. The two of them are acquainted from Herzog's years as a politician. As chair of the Labor Party, Herzog tried to promote the concept of the two-state solution. According to news reports, Abbas mediated a long and positive phone conversation between Herzog and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 12, signaling a possible amelioration in bilateral ties.
Gantz, the highest security figure in the government, also conversed with Abbas regarding operational issues. It was the first known conversation in years between the Palestinian leader and a high-placed Israeli minister. The last conversation took place in 2017, when Abbas conversed with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Gantz, the two discussed promoting security and economics in the region as well as relations between the two nations and the need for adopting trust-building steps, “which will assist the security and economy of the entire region.”
