Trump posts letter from Palestinian President Abbas but says 'looking forward' to meeting Netanyahu

Former US president Donald Trump said he was "looking forward" to meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and achieving peace in the Middle East in an online post which included a letter from the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In a cryptic message on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday he wrote: "Looking forward to seeing Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more forward to achieving Peace in the Middle East! DJT".

But in the same post, he attached a copy of an official letter from Palestinian Authority President Abbas in which the Arab leader had written to Trump after his assassination attempt on July 13 and expressed concern over the attempt on his life.

Abbas wrote in the letter that "Acts of violence must not have a place in a world of law and order," in what is believed to be their first communication since 2017.

Trump handwrote his response: "Mahmoud, so nice. Thank you. Everything will be good. Best wishes," followed by his signature.

The post from Trump came as  Netanyahu visited Washington DC to address Congress on Wednesday in an attempt to drum up more support for the Gaza war.

He is due to hold meetings with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris amid strained relations between the two old allies, with Israel's brutal conduct in the war increasingly embarrassing Washington.

The Republican presidential nominee will host Netanyahu on Friday at his resort in Palm Beach in Florida in the first meeting since the end of Trump's presidency in 2021.

Trump’s message referencing both Netanyahu and Abbas is reminiscent of his conflicting Middle East policy as president. While saying that he could achieve peace and offering a "Deal of the Century" that was unanimously rejected by Palestinians, he oversaw the most pro-Israel administration in US history.

Abbas and Trump fell out over his controversial decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and recognise it as Israel’s capital in 2017.

He then went on to pull funding for UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, a move which was later reversed by the Biden administration.

He also recognised the Golan Heights as Israeli despite it being internationally recognised as Syrian territory occupied by since 1967.

The Abraham Accords was his most significant 'peace-making' moment which saw Arab nations Morocco, UAE and Bahrain formalise relations with Israel for the first time, but they were widely criticised for failing to include any steps addressing Palestinian statehood and were seen by Palestinians as a betrayal of their cause.

Despite growing close with Netanyahu during his presidency over their aligned visions and regional policies, he has since criticised the Israeli leader for the security failures over the 7 October attacks and said Israel must finish the Gaza war “quick”.

Trump recently claimed that the Hamas attacks on southern Israel would not have happened if he was president, in a supposed dig to Democratic rival president Biden.

"During my first term, we had Peace and Stability in the Region, even signing the historic Abraham Accords - And we will have it again," Trump said in another Truth Social post on Tuesday.

According to US outlet Politico, Netanyahu’s office requested a meeting with Trump ahead of his visit to Washington which comes in the midst of a heated presidential election campaign.

If Trump wins the election in November, analysts have predicted a bleaker outlook for stability in the Middle East off the back of the Israel-Gaza war and the clashes with Iran-aligned groups in the wider region.

In an interview with Time magazine in April, Trump said he did not think a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine solution would work.

"There was a time when I thought two states could work. Now I think two states is going to be very, very tough," he said.