By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - The prospects for peace between Israel and Palestine are "very good", President Donald Trump said Wednesday.
“We will get it done," Trump said as he welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House for the first time since he took office in January.
Trump reiterated his stance that peace cannot be imposed by the U.S. or "any other nation", stressing the parties themselves "must work together to reach an agreement that allows both peoples to live, worship, and thrive, and prosper in peace."
"I will do whatever is necessary to facilitate the agreement," he said.
Following Trump, Abbas said the Palestinian leadership's "strategic option" is to pursue a two-state solution for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Shortly after assuming office, Trump signaled he is not opposed to abandoning the long-sought proposal to end the decades-old conflict, saying he instead prefers an undefined "ultimate deal".
But Abbas maintained that the two-state solution, if achieved, would have dramatic effects on the region, including Arab and Islamic countries pursuing normalized relations with Israel.
“We believe that we are capable and able to bring about success to our efforts,” Abbas said.