Palestinians say door still open for peace talks with Israel
23-03-2014 10:26 AM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Despite a flaring violence in the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah ruling party decided on Saturday to give the U.S.-sponsored peace talks with Israel a chance until its ultimatum ends in April.
An official statement issued after a Fatah Central Committee meeting held in Ramallah and chaired by Abbas said it doesn't want to close any door or window for the efforts of rescuing the peace process until the Palestinians peacefully gain their legitimate rights.
The statement, published by the Palestinians state-run news agency "Wafa" was contrary to earlier Palestinian political powers and factions on Abbas to withdraw from the peace talks and stop all types of security coordination with Israel.
Their appeal was made in the wake of an earlier Israeli army force raid on the northern West Bank refugee camp of Jenin and killing three militants.
"The Palestinian leadership is committed to keep the talks with Israel until its nine-month ultimatum ends in late April," said the statement, adding "we will exert every possible effort to succeed the U.S. efforts made to rescue the peace process."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry managed last July to directly bring Israel and the Palestinians to the negotiation table. He gave the two sides a nine-month period to sign on a framework peace agreement that paves the road for a permanent peaceful solution.
"We stick to peace as a choice and this means that we want to reach a peace agreement that guarantees a full Israeli army withdrawal from the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967 including east Jerusalem," said Nabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to Abbas.
Abu Rdineh, also spokesman of Fatah, said the central committee adopted the same position and stressed that Israel must be committed to the release of prisoners, who were detained before Israel and the PLO signed Oslo accords in 1993.
*Xinhua