Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday slammed Israel for not accepting the principle of two-state solution, as he is expected to meet early next month with Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz.
During a conference held in Ramallah, Abbas held Israel responsible for the deadlock of peace process, adding that " reviving the clinically dead peace process is in their hands."
"The Israeli rejection to keep its commitment to the peace process would make the principle of two-state solution just an illusion," Abbas said.
He also said the Israeli side "has planted its settlements and settlers in our lands in a studied way that tears the territories of our future state into isolated pieces of lands," making the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state on 1967 territories impossible.
In October 2010, the Palestinians suspended the direct peace talks with Israel after the latter insisted on continuing settlement building on the territories it occupied in 1967.
The Palestinians insist that there will be no resumption of talks with Israel until it completely stops building settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Abbas renewed his appeal to Arab and Muslim leaders all over the world to visit east Jerusalem and support residents there "to block the Israeli attempts of Judaizing the city."
Also on Sunday, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Voice of Palestine Radio that Abbas is likely to hold a meeting next month with Mofaz, a deputy to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss the revival of stalled peace process.
"President Abbas is studying the time and place of holding a meeting with Mofaz, who has repeatedly requested to meet to study the revival of peace talks," said Erekat.
He revealed that Abbas will not meet with Netanyahu unless the latter releases Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and allows arms to security forces of the Palestinian National Authority.
"If such a meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu is held, it will be an opportunity to start a dialogue," he said, added that " Resuming direct peace talks would need Israel to completely halts settlement building in the West Bank and east Jerusalem."
Erekat is expected to fly to Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton next week. "I will tell Clinton and other U.S. officials that Washington has to exert more efforts to... bring the peace process back to its track," he said.
"I will tell them that settlement should end," said Erekat.
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