WASHINGTON (JTA) — Mahmoud Abbas will visit the White House late next month.
The visit by the Palestian Authority president will come about a week and a half after President Obama is likely to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted in the French news agency AFP as saying that Abbas would meet with Abbas on May 28, which would be 10 days after Obama’s meeting with Netanyahu is reportedly taking place.
"This is an extremely important meeting," Erakat told AFP. "President Abbas will ask President Obama to work toward the vision of two states and to introduce mechanisms toward that end, which will in effect mean the immediate stop to settlement activity in all Palestinian territories."
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that the administration was working to finalize the dates of White House visits for Netanyahu, Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak over the next six weeks.
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