Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Sunday that he intended to hold talks with him in order to advance peace in the Middle East. In a phone call with Abbas, Netanyahu "spoke of the cooperation and the discussions they have had in the past and added that he intends to do that again in the future in order to advance peace between us and the Palestinians," a statement from Netanyahu's office said, according to AFP.
Abbas had called Netanyahu for the Jewish holiday of Passover and the two had a "friendly and warm" conversation, the statement said.
It was the first statement from Netanyahu on the Middle East peace process since he took office on April 1.
