Mahmoud Abbas accuses the current Israeli leadership of not wanting a solution to the Middle East conflict.
“The Israeli government does not believe in peace, does not believe in a two-state solution,” he tells Israels’ Channel 2 TV. “They build settlements day and night.”
He calls for a meeting with Netanyahu, saying that fresh peace talks could go a long way in reducing the six months of Palestinian violence.
“If he [Netanyahu] … tells me that he believes in a two-state solution and we sit around the table… this will give my people hope and nobody dares to go and stab and shoot,” Abbas says in a mixture of English and Arabic.
The 81-year-old leader also expresses a desire to reach a peace agreement with Israel in his lifetime.
“I want to see peace in my life, why not?” he says.
“We can make peace now, now,” he adds, before jokingly clarifying, “Not Peace Now, your movement.”
“I want to put an end to the conflict,” he maintains. “I believe that the Israeli people want peace and the Palestinian people want peace… Either the politicians do it, or leave it to the people.”
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 31, 2016
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