Abbas speaks with outgoing Israeli Prez

Ramallah, July 7 (IANS) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed hope that peace will be achieved soon between Israel and Palestine, during a phone call with his outgoing Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin.Rivlin thanked Abbas for making the phone call on Tuesday, which is a rare occurrence between the two Presidents, reports Xinhua news agency.Official media did not provide details of the conversation.The phone call was coordinated by Ghassan Alian, the Israeli government coordinator in the Palestinian territories, reported the Israel Radio.The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stalled since April 2014 after the US sponsored the peace negotiations for nine months without making any tangible progress.Rivlin is due to leave office this week at the end of his seven-year term. In June, Israel's parliament, or Knesset, chose Isaac Herzog as the new President, who will be sworn in at an official ceremony on July 9.
--IANS ksk/