Israeli PM says ready to resume peace talks with Palestinians "immediately"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he is willing to resume negotiations with the Palestinians "immediately" and "without preconditions," according to a statement from his office.

"I have no precondition to reach negotiations, I'm willing to drive to Ramallah or anyplace else now in order to run direct negotiations," Netanyahu said in the statement.

He added that he is still committed to the two-state solution and supports a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Netanyahu made the statements in a meeting with a group called "women make peace," established in 2014 after the two-month war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians took place between July 2013 and April 2014. But Israel suspended the talks after Fatah, part of the Palestinian Authority, announced reconciliation with Hamas, Israel's sworn enemy.

The Palestinian Authority claims, on its part, Israel stalled negotiations, making far-reaching security demands while continuing to build Jewish settlements.

In June, Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians for the halt in the talks, claiming Israel has extended its hand for peace repeatedly throughout the years and blasting the Authority's repeated demand to stop the expansion of Jewish settlements.

Amid the halt in the peace talks, the Palestinian Authority are trying to promote the establishment of a Palestinian state in several international channels.

A resolution to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank territories will be discussed in September at the United Nations General Assembly's conference in New York. Endit