Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed as ‘futile’ an international conference in Paris seeking to revive the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
"The conference convening today in Paris is a futile conference," he told ministers at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
"It was coordinated between the French and the Palestinians with the aim of imposing upon Israel conditions that are incompatible with our national needs," he said.
Netanyahu's government has bitterly opposed the conference, saying only direct talks with the Palestinians can end the long-running conflict. The Palestinians have welcomed the multilateral approach, saying years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation of the West Bank.
The conference is being held without either the Israelis or the Palestinians, but Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will meet French President Francois Hollande in the coming weeks to be briefed on the outcome, French diplomats said.