Prime Minister Yair Lapid summed up his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in a conversation with reporters Tuesday evening.
"We discussed many issues in progress on the security issue and in Iran. Macron said in 2018 that another agreement is needed with the Iranians. Our argument is that if the Iranians do not agree to the current agreement they will not go for another agreement either," Lapid said.
He added that "Israel has always said that it has no objection to a good agreement, we have an objection to a bad agreement. I do not think the French or the Americans want a bad agreement because no one wants a nuclear Iran and that will lead to disaster."
When asked by Israel National News about President Macron's statement during their meeting that he would like to see Lapid resume negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, he said: "It was not a major part of the meeting. The French know the political situation in Israel and its limitations. They always raise questions and there are disagreements between us regarding negotiations with the Palestinians."
He added that "the government has set itself the goal of building settlements only by natural growth and not by establishing new settlements."
Lapid was asked if he would meet with Mahmoud Abbas and replied, "I do not do meetings just to have them. It is not on the agenda, but I do not rule it out either."
Regarding possible gestures ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, a political source addressed the issue and said that "the issue of the consulate for the Palestinians is not on the agenda. Whenever a president arrives, they want us to go out of our way. We are in dialogue with the Americans and we will not do it through the media."
The source also referred to the situation on the Temple Mount and said that "there is no change in the status quo on the Temple Mount and we have not changed it by an inch. Muslims are allowed to pray and other religions are allowed to visit."