Palestinian President: No Common Ground for Negotiations With Israel
By VOA News
24 September 2009
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "a real problem," and there is no common ground for negotiations between the two leaders.
President Abbas made the comments in an interview published Thursday in an Arabic language newspaper, Al-Hayat.
Mr. Abbas said because Israel is allowing settlement construction to continue in the West Bank, there is nothing for the two leaders to discuss.
His comments followed U.S. President Barack Obama's remarks to the United Nations on Wednesday, where he said Israelis and Palestinians should resume peace talks "without preconditions."
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed President Obama's remarks. But Mr. Netanyahu reiterated one of his conditions for a final agreement, saying the Palestinians must accept Israel as a Jewish state.
Palestinians have demanded Israel halt all settlement construction in the West Bank before returning to peace negotiations. Israel says some construction is necessary to accommodate the natural growth of Jewish families in the settlements and offers a temporary freeze.
In his speech to the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, Mr. Obama said, "America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."
A day before the speech, Mr. Obama hosted a meeting in New York between Mr. Netanyahu and President Abbas. The American president also met separately with each leader.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
