Rivlin, Abbas speak by phone ahead of Muslim holiday
Presidents express hope of security and calm for their peoples in the coming weeks
President Reuven Rivlin spoke by telephone Thursday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Rivlin told the Palestinian leader he hopes the coming weeks will bring calm and quiet for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people, a spokesperson for the president said.
The spokesperson noted that the two men speak to each other “from time to time.”
“President Abbas expressed his hopes the Palestinian and Israeli peoples will enjoy security and stability,” the Wafa news agency reported.
In June 2016 EU officials asked if Rivlin was willing to meet with Abbas while both men were in Brussels. Although Rivlin agreed, Abbas did not and the proposed meeting never came about.
The Jewish and Muslim calendars, both of which are based on lunar cycles, will see the two faiths both celebrating major holidays within the space of few weeks.
Eid al-Adha will begin this year Thursday evening, as declared by Saudi Arabia’s High Judicial Court which confirmed the date for the festival after the new moon was sighted earlier in this month. It
The two-day Jewish new year holiday of Rosh Hashanah begins on the night of September 20 and is followed ten days later by Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement. The week-long Sukkot holiday begins on the night of October 4.
The Times of Israel Community.