France Seeks to Resume Peace Talks Between Israel and Palestinians

The French Foreign Minister announced on Friday that the country intends to propose a draft resolution to the UN Security Council in the coming weeks to resume peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. According to the Associated Press, Laurent Fabius, speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, added that consultations with other French partners in this matter would begin in a few days. He also emphasized that he could not predict the U.S. position regarding this resolution. Robert Serry, the UN Special Envoy to the Middle East, called on the UN Security Council on Thursday to pave the way for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He stated that a framework must be considered for resuming negotiations to achieve the goal of a two-state solution. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated during his parliamentary election campaign that he would not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state while he is in power. This statement drew a reaction from the U.S. and forced Netanyahu to attempt to moderate his position. U.S. President Barack Obama said that Netanyahu's remarks would compel him to reconsider U.S. policy towards Israel, which might mean that the Security Council could be a potential avenue for response. The French Foreign Minister stated that France would present the proposed resolution after the formation of the new Israeli government. Gaining U.S. support for the adoption of this resolution is very important. The United States, which holds veto power, has always emphasized that the only way to end the Israeli-Palestinian crisis is through direct negotiations between the parties. When reporters asked Riyad Mansour, the representative of the Palestinian Authority at the UN, if he had seen any signs of a change in the U.S. position on this issue, he remarked that it was a good question and added that it should be directed to the U.S. representative. Following the announcement of the Israeli election results, Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator in the peace talks, told Palestine Voice Radio that with Mr. Netanyahu's election, the peace process has, in his words, 'been buried.' After the victory of Netanyahu's Likud party in the Israeli elections, the UN announced that it expects Israel to continue peace negotiations to establish a Palestinian state.