Palestinian president says peace, security requires freezing Israel's settlement activities

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday stressed that achieving peace, security and good neighbourhood requires an immediate freeze of Israel's settlement activities and respect of Palestinian sovereignty on Palestinian territories. He also reiterated his rejection to violence and extremism, Abbas told reporters after meeting with the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Ramallah that "our hands are extended for peace based on justice and rights, and we are against violence and extremism."

"The continuity of the current situation is unbearable, and achieving peace, security and neighborliness between us and Israel requires decisive decisions by the Israeli government to freeze settlement activity immediately and halt aggressive actions of settlers," said Abbas during the press conference.

The peace talks between Israel and Palestine have been stalled since April 2014. The U.S.-sponsored talk that lasted for nine months achieved no tangible results.

The Palestinian president reiterated his welcome of a French proposal to hold an international peace conference and form an international support group and an effective multilateral mechanism to achieve the two-state solution, based on the international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative which was endorsed by the Arab League in 2002.

Abbas noted that an Arab League ministerial committee is currently working on a draft resolution over settlements. The draft resolution will be submitted at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis called for rebuilding mutual trust between the Palestinians and Israelis and stressed that a settlement could only be reached through

Source:WAM