The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conditions for resuming peace negotiations.

"Netanyahu will not find any Palestinian to talk to under the conditions he imposed on the creation of the Palestinian statehood," said Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator.

He added that Netanyahu's speech, delivered this evening, was "a slap in the face" of President Barack Obama's plan to settle Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Netanyahu put preconditions that were also a slap to the peace process and the internationally-supported solution which calls for establishing a Palestinian statehood alongside Israel," Erekat went on.

Netanyahu delivered a speech today at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, endorsing a Palestinian statehood for the first time since he was sworn in last April.

However, Netanyahu said the Palestinian statehood must be demilitarized and that the Palestinians must recognize Israel as the national home of Jewish first.

"Netanyahu's speech unilaterally ended all previous negations and made it clear that any future talks would be useless," Erekat added.

Meanwhile, Nemer Hammad, advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Netanyahu did not bring anything new.

The address "looks moderate from outside but it is radical from inside," Hammad told Xinhua.

"This is not the doorway to reaching peace and settling the conflict," Hammad added.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2009)