French PM to Visit ’Israeli’ Entity in Bid to Re-Launch Talks

Local Editor

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls will visit the "Israeli" entity and the Palestinian territories this month in a bid to re-launch the talks following the escalation of tensions in the Gaza Strip for two years, his office said Tuesday.

His visit, from May 21-24, comes as France seeks to engineer a deal based on a two-state solution.

It will happen ahead of a May 30 meeting which France is organizing for ministers from 20 countries to try and re-launch the "Israel"-Palestinian talks.

That proposed meeting has been welcomed by the Palestinians, who have suspended a planned UN resolution condemning "Israeli" settlements to focus on the bid.

But the "Israeli" entity had consistently argued that peace can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the two sides, rather than international forums.

French Foreign Minister Marc Ayrault said the aim of the meeting is to prepare an international summit in the second half of 2016, which would include the "Israeli" and Palestinian leaders.

The trip to the "Israeli" entity will also be a chance for Valls to smooth over a row over a recent UNESCO resolution, backed by France, which spoke of "Occupied Palestine".

The "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had attacked the "absurd" resolution which also condemned ""Israeli" aggression and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif".

Valls will meet Netanyahu on May 23.

He will arrive in the "Israeli" entity the previous day and also plans to meet President Reuven Rivlin, former "Israeli" Prime Minister Shimon Peres and opposition leader Isaac Herzog.

On May 24 he is scheduled to travel to Ramallah where he will hold talks with Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team