Mr. Trump, who presented himself last year as Israel’s greatest champion, had refused to deal directly with Palestinian officials until now. Mr. Greenblatt plans to follow up Friday’s telephone call between Mr. Trump and Mr. Abbas with a visit next week to the region. Mr. Abbas’s advisers initially expressed worry that Mr. Trump did not reach out sooner, and that he seemed deeply tilted toward Israel. But Mr. Trump has also moderated some of his positions since taking office. There have been contacts between intelligence organizations, including a visit to Mr. Abbas by the C.I.A.

Source: New York Times March 11, 2017 03:00 UTC