Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that the international peace conference to be convened in Paris later this month is an opportunity to settle the Palestinian problem through an international mechanism and a timetable for its implementation.
Abbas made the remarks during his meeting with an Israeli delegation that included academics, writers and political activists who signed a petition in support of the Paris conference.
The PA chairman claimed that UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which denied the legitimacy of Israeli communities in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, sent a clear signal that the “settlement policy” will not bring peace, and that the international community stands united against “settlements which tangibly threaten the two-state solution.”
“We want to achieve peace through negotiations, reject any other way and we will always declare our opposition to terror, extremism and violence everywhere in the world,” Abbas was quoted as having said by the official PA news agency.
According to the report, the members of the Israeli delegation expressed their full support for the Paris conference and said that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be in Israel's interest because it would lead to security and stability.
The Paris conference, scheduled for January 15, is part of France’s initiative to relaunch stalled Israel-PA peace talks.
Israel has long opposed the French initiative, explaining that the only way to reach a peace agreement is through direct talks with the PA.
Abbas continues to refuse direct talks with Israel, choosing instead to impose preconditions on such talks.
His claims that the PA will always object to terrorism is puzzling, as PA official media and social media pages continue to glorify terrorists and incite to terror attacks against Israelis.