(VOVworld) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the phone, marking the first time the two have spoken in over a year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Photo credit:REUTERS)

Palestinian Wafa news agency said on Friday that Netanyahu phoned Abbas to wish him a happy Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr is the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the month of Ramadan. During the call, Abbas said it was important to reach a peace deal in the coming year for both Palestine and Israel. He underlined that the two governments will continue to cooperate to ensure stability in the region. Netanyahu said Israel’s citizens want peace and Israel will continue to act to ensure stability in the region, according to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. Netanyahu called Abbas to ensure that the bodies of three Jewish teenagers, kidnapped and killed by Palestinian gunmen, will be returned home safely.