RAMALLAH, Friday, July 8, 2022 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas Friday afternoon received a phone call from Israel’s caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

In his phone conversation with President Abbas, the first from an Israeli official in years, Lapid extended his wishes on the feast of Eid al-Adha, which starts on Saturday.

President Abbas congratulated Lapid on assuming his position and expressed his hopes that peace and stability would prevail in the region as soon as possible.

PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General, Hussein al-Sheikh, said in a tweet that “they discussed the latest situation briefly.”

This phone call follows one to President Abbas earlier today by his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog and a meeting on Thursday evening with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz in Ramallah.

These contacts came ahead of US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to the region from Wednesday to Friday of next week.

K.F.