Palestine's Abbas, Pope discuss Middle East at Vatican

By Senhan Bolelli</p> <p>MADRID (AA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Pope Francis on Monday discussed the issues of the Middle East in a meeting at the Vatican, reported Italian media.</p> <p>In the meeting at the Papal Palace, Abbas told Francis: &quot;We pray for peace this Christmas season and we trust you.&quot; </p> <p>The pontiff also conveyed his wishes to the Palestinian president for peace in the Middle East.</p> <p>During the meeting, Abbas gave Francis a present showing ancient Jerusalem, and the pope gave a medallion depicting the Basilica of San Pietro in the 1600s, said Italian news agencies. </p> <p>Meanwhile, Abbas stressed in an interview with Italian daily La Stampa that U.S. efforts will not make peace in the Middle East.</p> <p>&quot;The U.S. cannot be the only mediator in the Middle East. A state which constantly imposes punitive sanctions against Palestine cannot be a mediator. U.S. leadership is an obstacle in the Middle East,&quot; wrote Abbas.</p> <p>&quot;We do not want to continue to cooperate with the current U.S. administration,&quot; said Abbas. “We will not agree with conditions that violate international law.&quot; </p> <p>Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump sparked an international outcry by announcing plans to move Washington’s Israel Embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel’s capital.</p> <p>Since the move this May, the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah has rejected any mediating role by the U.S. in the moribund Middle East peace process.</p> <p>International law continues to view East Jerusalem, along with the entire West Bank, as &quot;occupied territory&quot; and considers all Jewish settlement construction there to be illegal.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>