Israeli-Palestinian 'peace' elusive, US president says
US President Barack Obama has described as elusive any "peace" between the Tel Aviv regime and Palestinians amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip.
“Although obviously this is a time at which the prospects of serious peace may seem distant, it’s important that we continue to try,” Obama said on Wednesday during a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin at the White House.
Nearly 120 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops and armed settlers since the start of October.
Obama instead urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to “unequivocally condemn” alleged attacks against Israelis, and to fight incitement and pursue dialogue with Israel.
The pair also discussed renewing a 10-year security agreement that could see Washington render more military assistance to Tel Aviv.
American and Israeli military officials are reportedly negotiating a plan to increase the annual US military aid to Israel by as much as $1 billion, according to Israeli media. The boost will be on top of the $3.1 billion that Tel Aviv annually receives from Washington, a source close to the military aid process said.
On July 2, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki blamed the failure of the so-called peace talks with Israel on the Tel Aviv regime’s lack of interest in reaching a deal with the Palestinian government.
“We have been trying for the last 23 years to negotiate directly with the Israelis within this bilateral approach and we have failed,” Maliki said.
“We have failed miserably because Israel is not interested in reaching a peace with the Palestinians or a conclusion with the Palestinians, and so after 23 years, we have decided really to opt for the multilateral approach,” he added.
Tensions have escalated between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The wave of unrest was triggered by Israel’s imposition in August of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
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