Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday said Israel is blocking peace by continuing to expand settlements on occupied territory, but reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 border.
“What prevents the achievement of this desire is Israel’s continuation of its occupation and settlement activity and imposing realities on the ground,” said Abbas, speaking at a regional World Economic Forum conference in Jordan.
Abbas did not refer to the changed circumstances created by the formation of a new hard-line Israeli Government this month; key members of which oppose land concessions to the Palestinians. A US-led negotiation effort broke down about a year ago, and current prospects for resuming them are slim.
Israelis re-elected the Benjamin Netanyahu because they reject the Palestinians terms, which include not only a near-total pullout from the West Bank and a division of some sort in Jerusalem but also because the regional chaos has made them cautious.