Palestinian media: Top Israeli official calls Abbas with holiday greetings

Official Palestinian Authority publication reports Defense Ministry chief liaison Kamil Abu Rokon reached out to the PA president to mark Eid al-Adha

By Adam Rasgon 21 August 2018, 1:13 pm

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Adam Rasgon is a former Palestinian affairs reporter at The Times of Israel

Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rukun, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. (Courtesy)

A top Israeli official called Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday evening to send holiday greetings on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the official PA news site Wafa reported on Tuesday.

Kamil Abu Rokon, the head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, a branch of the Defense Ministry responsible for liaising with the Palestinians, “congratulated [Abbas] on the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Adha,” the Wafa report said, without providing any other details.

Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim holiday, marks the conclusion of the hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and commemorates the Quranic story of the Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Festivities began in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza on Monday evening.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas chairs a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah July 28, 2018. (ABBAS MOMANI/AFP)

COGAT did not immediately confirm that the phone call took place.

Official PA news outlets rarely issue reports about Abbas speaking with senior Israeli officials.

In June, President Reuven Rivlin called Abbas to send him holiday greetings on the occasion of Ramadan and wish him a successful recovery following his hospitalization in May, according to a Wafa report.

Abbas was hospitalized for over a week in Ramallah after he fell ill with pneumonia.