Five things you need to know as Donald Trump meets the Palestinian president
Trump will meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, for the first time on Wednesday Credit: AFP PHOTO / JIM WATSON
Raf Sanchez, Jerusalem
3 May 2017 • 9:00am
Raf Sanchez
Donald Trump will meet Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, today at the White House for their first face-to-face meeting.
President Trump has said he wants to make "the ultimate deal" - a peace treaty between Israelis and Palestinians - but has also put forward staunchly pro-Israel positions. Here's what you need to know about this delicate first meeting:
Trump's positions have been all over the place
More than 100 days into his presidency, we still don't really know what Mr Trump thinks about the complex details of peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians.
During the campaign he said he wanted to be "neutral" between the two sides but later gave stirringly pro-Israel speeches. He appointed a pro-Israel hawk as his ambassador to Israel but the ambassador has walked back many of his positions.
Mr Trump promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem but that now looks unlikely and he has vacillated on the issue of Israeli settlements. During a visit by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, Mr Trump said he was indifferent about whether a one-state or two-state solution was the best way forward.
The details matter here and both sides have been unsettled by Mr Trump's freewheeling approach. Israelis and Palestinians will both be closely watching his meeting with Mr Abbas for clues on his thinking.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in a weak political position Credit: REUTERS/Mohammad Hamed
Abbas is in a weak political position
Palestinians leaders are always weaker than their Israeli counterparts but Mr Abbas's position is especially dire. He is 82 years old and was first elected in 2005. There were supposed to be elections four years later but they were called off and Mr Abbas is now in his twelfth year in office. He is deeply unpopular and most Palestinians want him to resign.
His Fatah party leads Palestinians in the West Bank but they have no control in Gaza, where the Islamist Hamas movement has ruled since 2007. Mr Abbas has tried several times to reconcile with Hamas but the talks have always collapsed.
His Palestinian Authority (PA) is seen as corrupt by many Palestinians and the Arab states that sponsor the PA are increasingly interested in cooperating with Israel against Iran and getting on the right side of Trump.
Members of the Hamas security forces march during a graduation ceremony in Gaza City Credit: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images
The region is tense
Levels of violence between Israelis and Palestinians are low right now. But tensions are high and could come to a head in the coming weeks.
There are several important anniversaries this summer including Nakba Day on May 15, when Palestinians commemorate their losses, Jerusalem Day on May 23, when Israel celebrates taking full control of Jerusalem, and June 5, the 50th anniversary of the 1967 war and the Israeli occupation.
All the dates are potential flash points. Added to that, Mr Trump is visiting at the end of May and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are on a major hunger strike which will be heading to a critical juncture at around the same time.
There are also rumbling tensions between Fatah and Hamas. All in all, it's a combustible mix.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians are high even if current levels of violence are low Credit: EPA/ABED AL HASHLAMOUN
Personal relationships matter
We know that the personal element of diplomacy really matters to Mr Trump. His rhetoric towards China softened significantly after he hit it off with Chinese president Xi Jinping and he has been effusive about Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
It's not clear if the 82-year-old Palestinian and the 70-year-old New Yorker will have much in common but Mr Abbas will try hard to establish a connection. He's met with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan in recent weeks to get advice on how best to approach Mr Trump.
Mr Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping apparently hit it off at their first meeting. Credit: AP Photo/File
Expectations are low
The Trump-Abbas meeting will get a lot attention but expectations are low that it will lead to any breakthroughs. Expectations are equally low on the prospects of peace in general, despite Mr Trump's apparent enthusiasm for trying.
"Prospects for progress on the Middle East Peace Process are bleak," concluded a new report by the House of Lords International Relations Committee. The spread of Israeli settlements, the collapsing legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority and the hardening of views on both sides leave little reason for hope.
The new report adds an additional danger, saying Mr Trump's own positions on the issue are "unconstructive and could even escalate conflict".
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