In a stunning revelation that contradicts years of public policy, leaked documents obtained by The Independent expose Donald Trump's private admiration for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas during his presidency.
The extraordinary 2017 phone call transcript shows the former US president describing Mr Abbas as a "peace partner" who genuinely sought reconciliation with Israel - a stark contrast to the Trump administration's publicly hostile stance towards Palestinian leadership.
The Contradictory Conversation
During the conversation, Trump effusively praised Abbas, stating: "You have been working for a long time… You have been working toward peace for a long time, and we will get this done. You have been working on this for a long time, and it is never easy."
This private sentiment directly conflicted with Trump's public policy, which saw his administration move the US embassy to Jerusalem, cut funding to Palestinian refugees, and ultimately present a peace plan overwhelmingly favouring Israeli positions.
State Department Dismay
According to sources within the State Department at the time, officials were "stunned" and "deeply concerned" by the president's private comments. The dissonance between Trump's warm private assurances and his administration's hardline public actions created significant diplomatic confusion and undermined US credibility in the region.
One former official noted: "There was a complete disconnect between what the president was saying in private and what his administration was doing in public. It made coherent policy-making impossible."
Broader Pattern of Private Praise
The Abbas call appears to be part of a broader pattern where Trump privately praised foreign leaders his administration was publicly criticising. Similar discrepancies emerged in his dealings with North Korea's Kim Jong-un and Russia's Vladimir Putin, where private flattery contrasted with official US positions.
This latest revelation raises serious questions about the consistency and transparency of US foreign policy during the Trump administration, particularly regarding one of the world's most sensitive diplomatic issues.
