The French initiative is unacceptable, says Hamas

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has rejected the French initiative for a conference between the Israelis and Palestinians in order to revive the peace process, Quds Press has reported. In a brief statement issued on Wednesday, Hamas said that the initiative is not only “unacceptable” but also “harms the Palestinian people and their national interests.” Peace negotiations, the statement added, have “failed”.

According to the movement, the French move is designed to circumvent the Jerusalem uprising and includes “risks represented by the liquidation of the right of Palestinians in the city of Jerusalem and the return of all refugees.”

The French initiative centres on five issues which are generally regarded as being the underlying principles to resolve the conflict: fixing the borders as those in June 1967 with a land exchange between the two parties; making Jerusalem the shared capital of both states; setting a timetable for an end to the Israeli occupation; and holding an international peace conference.

The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, announced on Tuesday that the leadership is making Arab and international contacts to arrange a conference between the PA and the Israeli government. Abbas has proposed that the conference be held within the framework of the initiative.