Abbas refuses violence should latest talks with Israel fail by Zuzana Zelenakova

In March, Palestinians and Israelis began indirect talks. The first talks between the two countries since the last year´s Gaza military operation were the result of the US intervention. The man behind the mediation was the US Middle East envoy George Mitchell who will now go back and forth between Israel and the West Bank. The talks have been given the maximum time of four months in order to come up with some results. Direct talks were neglected in 2008. Although no one expects any final resolution both countries are trying to comply with US calls for trust efforts. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently, his government “is prepared to do thi! ngs that are not simple, that are difficult.” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on the other hand, failed to deliver a traditional speech on the day that Palestinians hold ceremonies of mourning because of the creation of Israel. It was seen as his attempt to avoid speaking against Israel. Moreover, in a recent interview the Palestinian Authority told France 24 that the possibility of armed conflict in case talks should fail is out of the question. “If we fail to reach an agreement through talks, we will have to turn to the UN Security Council for a resolution. I am opposed to any other alternative, in particular that of armed struggle,” said Mahmoud Abbas. He further said he believed there was a chance the issue of Isreali-Palestinian border could be “resolved within one or two weeks.” He mentioned a kind of international military force that would secure peace on both side of the border could be part of the solution. “We have already ! said we have no problem [with a military presence along the bo! rder] as it’s an international force and not the Israeli military” he said.

related story (sgx17362): http://www.france24.com/en/20100524-israel-palestinian-confl...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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