Palestinian-Israeli peace deal ‘still possible’: Abbas
PALESTINE: Peace between Israelis and Palestinians is “still
possible”, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Saturday, hailing
US Secretary of State John Kerry's efforts to revive stalled talks.
In a speech to the World Economic Forum in the town of Al-Shunah on
the banks of the Dead Sea in Jordan, Abbas called on Israel to “end the
occupation of our lands”, evacuate settlements and free Palestinian
prisoners. “This is what will make peace and ensure security for you and
for us,” he said.
The Palestinian leader praised Kerry's latest efforts to revive peace
negotiations with Israel, which stalled nearly three years ago.
“Recently, we have seen concrete actions and tangible attempts to
restart the peace process through the efforts of US secretary Kerry, and
that brings us hope,” he said.
Kerry on Friday urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take “hard
decisions” to restart talks at the end of his fourth visit to the region
since he took office in February. “It is clear that in the long run the
status quo is not sustainable,” Kerry said at a Tel Aviv news
conference, noting that the “one way” to peace was through direct talks.
A Palestinian official in Ramallah told AFP on Tuesday that Abbas
would meet Jordan's King Abdullah II, Kerry and a number of European
foreign ministers on the sidelines of the forum.
AFP
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