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Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Palestine FM says there are no partners in Israel’s government to hold talks with

Israel is not willing to drop its settlement policy and this means that the Israeli government has no intention to go down the path of peace, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki says

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki Mikhail Metsel/TASS

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki

© Mikhail Metsel/TASS

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Russian, Israeli foreign ministers to discuss Palestinian-Israeli settlement

MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said on Thursday negotiations with Israel were not possible until the country had abandoned its anti-Palestinian rhetoric.

"We are not in talks with Israel now. We are looking for a fair solution to the problem of the Palestinian people," Malki told a news conference, noting that "no talks are possible" so long as statements were being made like the one by the Israeli foreign minister saying that Palestinian President "Mahmoud Abbas is a terrorist, though a diplomat".

Palestine was unable to find partners in the Israeli government to hold negotiations, Malki said.

"It seems sufficient to listen to what the international community says and how it assesses the position of the Israeli government in recent years," he said. "Let the international community judge. If we found a real negotiating partner in Israel, the process would be much easier."

"But Israel is not willing to drop its settlement policy," Malki said. "This means that the Israeli government has no intention to go down the path of peace. It wants to follow the path of occupation, which helps to control the Palestinian economy and possess a huge market."

The foreign minister said a Palestinian state within the boundaries that existed in 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, "could be a solution to the problem".

"The current Israeli government opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state," Malki said, adding that many foreign leaders agreed that "there is no partner in the Israeli government to sit down at the negotiating table".

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Palestine Israel Gaza Strip

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