Abbas Arrives in Paris to Meet with Kerry, French FM
Bethlehem, 26 Syawwal 1437/31 July 2016 (MINA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Paris on Saturday to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, to continue efforts to push the French-led peace process forward.
At a press conference on Thursday, US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters that in Kerry’s meeting with Abbas, the two would discuss “prospects towards helping us create conditions for a two-state solution,” adding that “There is a possibility there could be additional bilateral meetings while we’re in Paris.”
Regarding a time line of events for the peace process, Kirby also said that Kerry was “not looking at trying to make progress based on a fixed date on the calendar. This is something he has been focused on since he has been the secretary of state, and will remain so for, I can assure you, the entire time that he’s in office.”
The French Foreign Ministry reportedly said in a statement that Abbas and Ayrault will meet to work on implementing the multilateral French peace initiative, which aims to hold an international summit regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict by the end of the year.
The French ministry’s statement also highlighted that Saturday’s talks would re-visit discussions on the a parallel Egyptian-led peace initiative — a trilateral initiative aiming to bring Israeli and Palestinian leaders face to face and create steps towards the unification of Palestinian political factions — which they covered during the ministerial conference held in Paris earlier this month.
Later on Saturday, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization Saeb Erekat said at a press conference that Abbas had told Kerry and Ayrault during the meetings that he fully supports the French initiative to find a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, PA-owned Wafa news agency reported.
Abbas had also underscored his disapproval of any potential changes to the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for an independent Palestinian state along pre-1967 lines and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Abbas reportedly added that the Palestinian Authority and Egypt were in full agreement about their support for the renewed peace efforts.
Over the past several months, France has been leading renewed peace efforts between Palestine and Israel with the aim of solving the decades-long conflict between the countries.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu staunchly rejected the French initiative in April, saying the “best way to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestinians is through direct, bilateral negotiations.”
The Palestinian Authority has repeatedly expressed support for the French initiative, and in April shelved the submission of a new anti-settlement resolution to the UN out of fear that doing so could thwart progress of new French proposals, causing outrage among various Palestinian political factions.
Settlement activity undermining prospects for a two-state solution
The meetings come as Israel’s continued settlement expansion has brought renewed criticism and attention in recent days, as both the the US and UK released statements slamming a recent string of approvals by Israel to build hundreds of additional settlements surrounding occupied East Jerusalem and other settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as expressing concern over the recent increase of demolitions on Palestinian homes that have left dozens of Palestinians homeless this week.
Kirby said at the time that the United States was “deeply concerned” by the actions of the Israeli government aimed at fast-tracking the resettlement of Israeli citizens onto Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory, saying they appeared to represent a “steady acceleration of settlement activity that is systematically undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.”
“This is part of an ongoing process of land seizures, settlement expansion, legalizations of outposts, and denial of Palestinian development that risk entrenching a one-state reality of perpetual occupation and conflict,” the statement continued.
“We remain troubled that Israel continues this pattern of provocative and counterproductive action, which raises serious questions about Israel’s ultimate commitment to a peaceful, negotiated settlement with the Palestinians,” said Kirby.
A recent report released by the Middle East Quartet — the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations — which received condemnation from both Israel and Palestine for various reasons, cited Israel’s expansion of illegal settlements as one of the major impediments to a viable two-state solution.
All past efforts towards peace negotiations have failed to end the decades-long Israeli military occupation or bring Palestinians closer to an independent contiguous state
The most recent spate of negotiations led by the US collapsed in April 2014.
Israel claimed the process failed because the Palestinians refused to accept a US framework document outlining the way forward, while Palestinians pointed to Israel’s ongoing settlement building and the government’s refusal to release veteran prisoners. (T/R07/R01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
