Abbas calls for Mideast peace confab in rare UN speech
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday called for an international conference to be held later this year to launch a new, wider Middle East peace process and pave the way to Palestinian statehood.
In a rare address to the UN Security Council, Abbas presented a plan to revive Israeli-palestinian talks under a new international peace process that would replace the Us-led mediation, AFP reported.
President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Alquds as Israel’s capital infuriated the Palestinians, who declared that Washington could no longer play a role as peace broker.
“To solve the Palestine question, it is essential to establish a multilateral international mechanism emanating from an international conference,” Abbas said.
Abbas said the conference would be attended by Israel and the Palestinians, regional players, the five permanent Security Council members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – and the diplomatic Quartet comprised of the European Union, Russia, the United States and the United Nations.
The gathering should lead to full UN membership for the state of Palestine and the creation of a new international mechanism to reach a final settlement, he said.
Abbas called Trump’s decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Al-quds a “dangerous” development. He warned that the refugee aid cuts could leave desperate Palestinians flooding into Europe.
The Palestinian leader immediately left the council chamber following his address, leading Israeli envoy Danny Danon to complain that Abbas was “running away” from dialogue.
Addressing the council, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned that turning to the United Nations and rejecting the US role in peace talks “will get the Palestinian people exactly nowhere toward the achievement of their aspirations.”
“Our negotiators are sitting right behind us, ready to talk,” she said, before adding: “But we will not chase after you. The choice, Mister President, is yours.”
The Israeli-palestinian peace process has been deadlocked since a major push by the administration of Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama ended in failure in April 2014.
The Trump administration is preparing a new peace plan even though chances for agreement appear dim.
The Palestinians hope that greater international involvement in the peace process will serve to counter what they see as a US stance biased in favor of Israel after Trump’s decision on Al-quds.
Israel, which often accuses the European Union and the United Nations of bias against it, is reluctant to accept any other mediator than the United States.