President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that Israel’s continued settlement building on what would become a future Palestinian state was impeding a two-state solution and renewing the cycle of violence.
In his speech delivered at the summit of the African Union in Kampala, Abbas said Palestinians were clinging to peace “to build a better future for our coming generations and all peoples of the region,” the PA news agency Wafa reported.
The president reiterated that he is ready to resume direct talks as soon as Israel stops settlement construction and responds to proposals on borders and security, which were presented over six rounds of so-called proximity talks under the supervision of US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell.
The Obama administration has urged the PA and Israel to swiftly enter into direct negotiations once the current round of mediated talks end. The PA says it will not return to the negotiating table until progress is made on borders and security, as well as complete halt to settlements.
Abbas asked African states to work regionally and internationally to pressure Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian land, to stop settlement building, and to dismantle the separation wall. Abbas said he was working to end the Israeli army’s incursions into Palestinian territories, the arrests and killings of Palestinians, and what he called its systematic ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem, according to Wafa.
Indirect talks were derailed in March, when Israel announced further settlement expansion in East Jerusalem during a visit by US Vice President Joe Biden to kick-start the peace process. The Arab League, PA, and PLO endorsed the latest round of negotiations in May.
Direct talks were broken off in December 2008 as Israel launched Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
Abbas says he is prepared to meet with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu if Israel agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state on lands occupied in 1967 and halts settlements. He said Saturday that no progress was made toward resuming direct talks with Israel in spite of international pressure on the Ramallah-based leadership.
"Direct talks without an obvious reference could collapse from the beginning," the president told the Palestinian Broadcasting Corp. on the sidelines of the Uganda summit.
The 15th Assembly of the African Union opened Sunday in the Ugandan capital, where Abbas is attending as a guest. Several leaders are convening for the summit set to prioratize talks on Somalia's bloody conflict, two weeks after Somali Islamists killed 76 in twin blasts in Kampala during the World Cup final.
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