July 18, 2015 - 09:01 AMT
Netanyahu tells Abbas citizens of Israel want peace

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have spoken by phone, a rare exchange amid years of paralyzed peace efforts, according to the Associated Press.

Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader wished Abbas a happy Eid el-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that caps the fasting month of Ramadan.

A statement Friday, July 17, said Netanyahu told Abbas the citizens of Israel want peace and that Israel would "continue to act toward regional stability."

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said Abbas told Netanyahu it is important to reach a peace deal next year.

The Palestinians want to establish a state in lands Israel captured in 1967.

The two leaders remain apart on the framework for a deal, with Netanyahu rejecting the internationally backed idea that border talks should use the pre-1967 frontier as a base.