Referring to an international Middle East conference scheduled for Paris in two weeks, President Reuven Rivlin said, Tuesday morning, “We appreciate France’s concern and attempts to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Yet, it must be very clear, there are no shortcuts in the Middle East. The solution to the conflict requires two things; to build trust between the sides, and direct negotiations between the two sides.” Hosting President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher, he added, “Without trust, no solution will work. Without negotiations, no solution can be reached.”
Larcher responded by saying, “I have come with a message of friendship. Even when there are disagreements we must continue to speak. You have described the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians as a tragedy, a tragedy which can be ended through speaking. It is important that between friends we can speak openly. We understand how important direct negotiations are for Israel and it is the role of the international community to create the conditions to advance these direct negotiations.”