Welcoming Abbas, as participants recorded the encounter on their cellphones, Netanyahu said of his attendance: “It’s something that I appreciate very much on behalf of our people and on behalf of us.”
But Abbas’s rare visit to the city, a short drive through Israeli military checkpoints from Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, seemed unlikely to yield anything more than handshakes.
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been frozen since 2014 and Netanyahu and Abbas, deeply divided over Jewish settlement on land Palestinians seek for a state and other issues, have not held face-to-face talks since 2010.
Abbas was given a front-row seat between European Council President Donald Tusk and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Obama briefly greeted the Palestinian leader with a kiss on each cheek before walking down the line to stand next to Netanyahu.
Ukraine has halted Russia's advance in Sumy Oblast, stabilizing the front line and blunting the momentum...
Israeli forces and drones opened fire toward hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid in separate incidents...
Israel has closed crossings into northern Gaza, cutting the most direct route for aid to reach...
Donald Trump has indicated he will consider providing more of the Patriot missiles that Ukraine needs...
