United Nations diplomats should convene an international conference in 2018 to replace the United States as the chief mediator between Israelis and Palestinians, said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday.
Abbas, in an address to the United Nations Security Council, called for the conference in response to President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He cited that decision as well as Israeli settlement construction as the reason for the stalled peace talks.
“We call for the convening of an international peace conference in mid-2018, based on international law and relevant UN resolutions, with broad international participation including the two concerned parties and the regional and international stakeholders,” Abbas said.
He argued the conference should produce a settlement that recognizes the state of Palestine and “guarantee international protection for our people on the lines of 1967.” That would entail an Israeli withdrawal from territory taken during the 1967 Six-Day War, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argues would mark a return to indefensible borders.
Abbas allowed that the two sides would have to negotiate over the final status of holy sites in Jerusalem, but he emphasized that “during the period of negotiations, all parties must refrain from unilateral actions, particularly those that would prejudge the outcome of a final solution,” an apparent reference to Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
Abbas sees the international forum as a favorable one for such talks, in part because of the support the Palestinian Authority has received from the U.N. General Assembly. “We have been recognized by 138 states,” he said. “Recognition does not go against negotiations it rather promotes negotiations. Therefore, I call upon members who have yet to recognize the state of Palestine to do so.”
Israel’s representative at the U.N. countered that Abbas is to blame for the stalled talks, particularly as the Palestinian leader left the council rather than listen to the rest of the debate.
“Look what just happened in this room: Mr. Abbas came in, he put his demands on the table, and he left, and he’s expecting you to deliver the results,” Israeli Ambassador Danny Dannon said. “It’s not going to work that way. The only way to move forward is to have direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Dannon suggested the walkout was emblematic of how Palestinian leaders have failed to engage in good-faith peace talks.
“Peace plan after peace plan has been accepted by Israel and rejected by Mr. Abbas,” he said. “Three different Israeli prime ministers, three different American presidents, but every time they even inch toward progress, Mr. Abbas runs away.”
