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Netanyahu calls for return to talks as speculation gathers over Abbas speech
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to return to peace talks yesterday as the two leaders prepared to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York later this week.
Netanyahu will travel to New York today and will deliver his address on Thursday. Prior to leaving Israel, Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying that he “again calls” on Abbas “to return immediately to the negotiating table in order to advance the diplomatic process.” Netanyahu has said repeatedly, including during a visit to London earlier this month that he is prepared to restart peace talks with Abbas without preconditions. Negotiations were suspended in April 2014 after Abbas announced a national unity government with Hamas.
Media reports suggest that Netanyahu’s speech will address the peace process, Temple Mount violence fuelled by Palestinian incitement and the danger of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He will also meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during his visit to New York.
Meanwhile, Abbas is set to deliver his own address tomorrow. Abbas recently said that he is preparing to drop a “bombshell” during his speech and some have speculated that he might announce the dissolution of the Oslo Accords or a unilateral move to declare Palestine a ‘state under occupation’. Abbas is under pressure domestically with his domestic credibility waning. However, it is reported this morning that following a difficult conversation with Kerry, Abbas has decided to revise his plans. Any unilateral move would likely be considered by the United States and Israel as a violation of the peace agreements signed during the 1990s between Israel and the PA.
On the side lines of the UNGA, foreign ministers from the Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) are expected to hold a rare meeting tomorrow. For the first time, there will be participation from the Arab world as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have also been invited to attend the gathering by Ban Ki-moon.