From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Abbas tells Ban settlement building thwarting peace efforts
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GooglePA President Abbas and Ban Ki-moon have held a press conference in Ramallah, with the Palestinian leader blaming Israeli settlement building for peace talks with Israel stagnating.
Abbas says his hands remain “outstretched for peace” but are thwarted by “continued Israeli occupation and settlements” in the West Bank, Palestinian state-run media outlet Wafa reports.
He repeats a claim that Israeli action increase Palestinian frustration and fuel “extremism and terror in the region and the world.”
He adds that he backs both the French and Arab initiatives to kick start peace talks.
Ban says he condemns the “humiliating Israeli occupation and settlement enterprise” in the West Bank.
He also says Palestinians are victims of suffering and degrading treatment, according to Wafa.
The Times of Israel Community.