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Palestinian official denies news of meeting with Netanyahu

Xinhua, January 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Palestinian official denied news Wednesday of an upcoming scheduled meeting between a high-ranking Palestinian security delegation and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Adnan Damiri, West Bank Palestinian security apparatuses' spokesman said in an official statement that the media reports concerning a meeting with Netanyahu soon "are false."

Several local electronic media websites had reported that a meeting was arranged between a Palestinian security delegation and Netanyahu soon in order to brief him of the Palestinian Central Council (PCC) decisions.

Palestine's Liberation Organization's (PLO) PCC decided in March 2015 to freeze security cooperation between Palestine's National Authority (PNA) and Israel, due to the ongoing Middle East peace process stalemate.

Meanwhile, Rami Hamdallah, the consensus government's Palestinian prime minister, condemned Wednesday Israel's postponed release of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 64 days.

"Prime Minister Hamdallah holds Israel accountable for Palestinian journalist Mohamed al-Qiqi's life," said Hamdallah in an emailed press statement.

He urged the international community to pressure Israel to release al-Qiqi.

Al-Qiq's health condition sharply deteriorated following his 64-day hunger strike as he protested his administrative detention without a trial.

Al-Qiq is a TV reporter arrested last November.

Palestinians are currently demanding the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails as part of a permanent peace agreement framework, ending Israel's military occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state.

President Mahmoud Abbas previously suggested holding an international peace conference to end decades of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via terminating the military occupation of the 1967 Palestinian territories.

Palestine's foreign affairs minister Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to translate its stance and resolutions concerning the Palestinian issue into actions.

The PNA's foreign ministry said in an emailed press statement that it welcomed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's statements along with other Security Council permanent members during their Tuesday session.

The meeting restated the need to end Israel's military occupation, halt settlement expansion and end the conflict to ensure the establishment of a Palestinian state according to the two-state principle.

"This decision needs to become a reality," said the foreign ministry in a statement, adding that "the Security Council members and UN Secretary General's remarks reflect a favorable consensus towards the Palestinian cause." Endit