At World Economic Forum, Palestinian Authority president calls on international community to intervene on issue of settlement building.
By JPOST.COM STAFFPalestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Friday that Israel’s continuing settlement activity in the West Bank is preventing a renewal of peace talks.“We are calling on the international community to intervene on this matter,” Abbas told the World Economic Forum meeting in Jordan on Friday.Abbas underlined the repeated Palestinian call for an independent state with a capital in east Jerusalem."We are holding on to a just peace and the two state-solution based on resolutions of international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative and signed agreements, to guarantee an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," Palestinian news agency Ma'an quoted him as saying.The Palestinian leader said that Ramallah’s efforts to join international forums “is not aimed at any one party” but “is an expression of our desire to build a state according to international standards.”More than 800 leaders from government, business and civil society are attending the two-day event, which hopes to promote growth and development in the region.Reuters contributed to this report.
