Palestinian president slams Israel for refusing to resume peace talks

RAMALLAH: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday slammed the Israeli government for refusing to resume the stalled Middle East peace process, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Abbas made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the new headquarters of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission near the West Bank city of Ramallah, it said.

The Israeli government’s refusal to resume the peace process in the Middle East “will not benefit it,” Abbas said, adding that “Israel can’t reject making peace with the Palestinians forever.”

Meanwhile, Abbas called for implementing the UN Security Council’s resolutions, noting that the Palestinians refuse to live under the Israeli occupation of their territories.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has stalled since 2014 after the two sides failed to make progress despite holding several rounds of talks mediated by the United States.