French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for the resumption of long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Macron made the comments during a meeting with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas in the presidential palace in Paris and was quoted by AFP.
The French President said the situation in eastern Jerusalem and PA-controlled territories remains “more than worrying”, before adding, “We all know that a new spiral of violence can start at any moment. To avert this threat (…) that undermines the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis, we must act.”
In the short term, Macron said, that means putting an end to Israel’s “unilateral measures”, including the expansion of Jewish communities and evictions of Palestinian Arab families from their homes. Both actions are “contrary to international law”, Macron said.
He repeated his willingness to mobilize the international community in efforts that will lead to resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinians and eventually result in a “just and lasting peace”.
Abbas, for his part, called on Israel to stop “unilateral actions (...) most importantly, the building of illegal settlements".
The PA’s “foreign ministry” announced last week that Abbas would meet Macron for talks that will discuss "putting pressure on Israel to provide the appropriate atmosphere for holding the Palestinian elections, specifically in the city of Jerusalem."
The PA chairman previously met Macron in 2020, when he expressed hope that France will recognize a Palestinian state.
Palestinian Arab officials have been pressuring countries to officially recognize “Palestine”, in a move meant to bypass direct peace talks with Israel.
While several European countries have recognized “Palestine” in recent years, those moves were symbolic ones that have little, if any, actual diplomatic effect.
Direct peace talks between Israel and the PA have not been held since 2014, when the PA unilaterally applied to join international organizations in breach of the conditions of US-brokered negotiations held at the time.