RAMALLAH — On Wednesday, the Palestinian president on Wednesday expressed hope that President-elect Donald Trump will support the Palestinian quest for independence, saying little is known about the incoming American leader’s policies.

In a sprawling speech that lasted well over three hours to his Fatah Party, President Mahmoud Abbas said he hopes that 2017 will be the year that the Palestinians finally gain independence and that he would seek Trump’s help in achieving that goal.

“We know nothing about him,” Abbas said. “His people elected him. We didn’t, and if he wants to talk with us, we are pursuing that.”

Trump has said he would like to broker a Mideast peace deal, but he has given few details on how he hopes to do so. He has raised concerns among Palestinians because many of his advisers take hard-line positions that favor Israel and his campaign platform made no mention of Palestinian independence – a U.S. position for the past two decades.

“We hope that he will be able to offer something to the Palestinian cause, to offer a solution, a sane, balanced and fair (solution),” Abbas said.

While President Obama strongly advocated the need for a Palestinian state, he made little headway during his tenure. Two rounds of peace talks quickly collapsed without progress, leaving the Palestinians bitter and frustrated.