BICOM

Yesterday, during his weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas could show its seriousness for peace if it released captured IDF solider Gilad Shalit. “Negotiations will not be conducted with a Palestinian government, half of which is Hamas, a terrorist organization that seeks to destroy Israel. I made it clear to Foreign Minister Juppe that Hamas must adopt the Quartet principles. If the claim that there is a new spirit in Hamas is true, then it can find expression in the release of Gilad Shalit,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister made his comments following a visit by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe last week, who during his visit offered to hold a peace conference in France for Israel and the Palestinians. Netanyahu said that he appreciated the French offer and will respond to it once he has weighed up the issues and discussed them with his US allies. Official Palestinian sources told the German Press-Agency DPA that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told Juppe, after an earlier meeting in Rome, that he would convene the Palestinian leadership to discuss the proposal before giving his final answer.