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Israel rejects French peace bid

Xinhua, April 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israel officially rejected on Thursday a French peace bid aimed at reigniting the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying it "distances" the prospects of direct talks between the parties.

"Israel adheres to the position that the best way to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is direct, bilateral negotiations," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Reiterating Israel's long-held position, the office asserted that Israel is willing to begin direct talks with the Palestinians, "without preconditions."

"All other political initiatives distance the Palestinians from the negotiations table," the statement read.

Under the French initiative, introduced by former Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius late January, France will convene an international summit in Paris on May 30, with the aim of reviving the peace talks. If the talks fail to bear fruit, France would acknowledge a Palestinian state nonetheless, according to the proposal.

The statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials slammed the initiative as counterproductive, charging it would deny any incentive for the Palestinians to take an active part in direct talks with Israel.

Last Thursday, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said the Palestinians strongly support the bid.

The push for renewal of the talks, after the recent round reached an impasse in April 2014, comes amid a seven-month wave of Palestinian unrest, and have claimed the lives at least more than 200 Palestinians and 28 Israelis.

Israel accuses the Palestinian National Authority of "inciting" violence, whereas the Palestinians say it is the result of 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, where they wish to establish a Palestinian state. Endit