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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in the center, next to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, second from left, at a meeting at the United States headquarters in New York, February 20, 2018. ( Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
JERUSALEM (JTA) – The Trump administration has rejected as "fake" an Israeli TV report that President Donald Trump has called for a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The news of Channel 2 Hadashot reported Tuesday the opening of Trump through an anonymous third party to restore links with the Palestinians.
Abbas reportedly said that such a meeting could only take place if the United States made diplomatic overtures. He is said to have demanded that Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and White House advisor Jared Kushner be burned.
"The Channel 2 report indicates that President Trump has requested a meeting with President Abbas," Garrett Marquis, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said in a statement. "Channel 2 continues unfortunately to publish misleading reports without verifying their veracity."
On Wednesday, Hadashot's information remained faithful to his story despite denials from the administration and noted that World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder had served as an intermediary.
Marquis added: "Rather than launching personal attacks on Jason Greenblatt or other members of the administration, we continue to hope that the Palestinian Authority will engage with the United States in a positive and constructive manner. Palestinian.
Abbas stopped talking to the administration after the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Trump angered the Palestinians recently with his decision to cut US funding to the US agency for Palestinian refugees.
