Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed, on Friday, his US counterpart Joe Biden in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The national anthems of the U.S. and Palestine were played before Abbas and Biden at the presidential headquarters in the city.
The two leaders are slated to hold talks on the latest political developments and bilateral relations followed by a joint press conference.
https://twitter.com/AmichaiStein1/status/1547867218641162240
Abbas affirmed that Biden's visit expresses his interest in peace, stressing the importance of reviving the foundations of the peace process. "We are committed to the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders," he said.
Abbas noted that he is looking forward to US steps to reopen a consulate in occupied East Jerusalem, remove Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from the terrorist list, and reopen the Palestinian office in Washington.
"It's good to see you again my friend," Biden said to Abbas. "We've known each other for a long time."
During the joint conference, Biden called Shireen Abu Akleh's death an “enormous loss”, adding that she was providing “viral work.” He also pledged to support press freedom around the world.
A senior administration official told Reuters that Biden will not come up with a plan to restart the stalled Israel-Palestinian peace process during his visit.
"[There] are practical realities on the ground that we are very mindful of so we have not come in with a top-down plan but we have always said that if the parties are ready to talk, and we think they should, we will be there, right beside them," the official said.
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