Israeli settlement expansion blocks any peace deal: Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday said Israel is blocking peace by continuing to expand settlements on occupied <g data-gr-id="16">territory,</g> 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 hard-line Benjamin Netanyahu two months ago in part because they reject the Palestinians terms, which include not just a near-total pullout from the West Bank and a division of some sort in Jerusalem but also because the regional chaos has them in a cautious frame of mind. 

The prime minister has voiced support in recent years for a Palestinian state but seems very far from the Palestinians’ terms. During his campaign he said he did not expect a Palestinian state to soon arise, but later slightly <g data-gr-id="19">back tracked</g>.

Speaking at the same conference on the shores of the Dead Sea, former Israeli President Shimon Peres said most Israelis nonetheless supported the principle of a Palestinian state.