Itongadol.- Have the peace talks hit a wall? Yasser Abed Rabu, a leading member of the Palestinian and advisor to Abu Mazen, remarked pessimistically that the negotiations with Israel are “sterile and will not lead to any results”.
“I do not expect any progress unless great American pressure is applied, like the pressure we see on their part on the Syrian issue” said Abed Rabu, one of the two in charge of the negotiations on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, in an interview to “Palestine’s voice” radio station.
Abed Rabu stressed that the continuation of the development in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is undermining the efforts to reach an agreement. “Israel did not guarantee to stop building in the settlements and we see this policy as destructive to any chance of reaching an agreement”.
Reuters news agency reports that an official in Netanyahu’s office refused to respond to Abed Rabu’s remarks. According to him, both sides agreed that the US would be the only one to make statements on the matter. “We are committed to that agreement” he said.
Next week, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Head of the Palestinian Authority Abu Mazen are set to meet with American Secretary of State John Kerry separately. During the meeting in Europe the two are expected to discuss the progress of the talks with Kerry.