Palestinian presidency says Israel avoids peacemaking
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The Palestinian leadership on Friday accused Israel of avoiding making peace in the Middle East.
The accusation was made after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he cannot withdraw Israeli troops from the Palestinian lands that have been occupied since 1967.
"Netanyahu's position is an official declaration that he is not ready to engage in a real peace based on justice and international legitimacy," said Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman for the Palestinian presidency.
Netanyahu made his remarks after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday, a day after Obama said in a speech that the 1967 lines should be the baseline of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Abu Rdineh also rejected Netanyahu's statements that the issue of Palestinian refugees cannot be resolved within Israel's borders. "This issue is subject to negotiations, not announcements on the media," Abu Rdineh said of Netanyahu's remarks.
On Friday, Obama said negotiations on borders and security can lead to advancement on the issues of refugees and Jerusalem, the holy city that the Palestinians demand its eastern part as a future capital.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stopped in September over a dispute on Jewish settlement constructions in the West Bank.
