Ammon News - AMMAN - Scores of Jordanian activists staged a sit-in Thursday at the headquarters of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the country's main opposition party, to protest the relaunch of direct talks between the Palestinians and Israel in the United States.

Addressing the audience, IAF Secretary General Hamzeh Mansour criticized Jordan and Egypt for taking part in the six-way meeting in Washington, saying the two Arab countries came under pressure from the United States to attend.

He also charged that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "lacked legitimacy because his presidential term has already ended" and had no right to represent the Palestinian people.

"By arranging the negotiations, US President Barack Obama seeks to improve the chances of his Democratic Party in the coming congressional elections, through luring the Jewish lobby and putting pressure on Palestinians and other Arabs to make concessions," Mansour said.

He also called on Jordanians and other Arabs to assist the Palestinian resistance and hailed a Hamas attack that killed four Israeli settlers on Tuesday in the West Bank. (DPA)