President Peres:
"We must not miss the opportunity for peace – only at the negotiating table will the disagreements be overcome."
The President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, met with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas this evening on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Jordan. During the meeting the two discussed the obstacles to restarting negotiations and possible ways to overcome those obstacles. President Peres stressed the importance of quickly resuming the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. He said that a window of opportunity has been created which is enhanced by the support from President Obama's administration in the United States which is committed a peace deal as seen by Secretary of State John Kerry's initiative: "Peace will be based on the principle of two states for two peoples – a Jewish state, Israel, living side by side in peace and security with an Arab state of Palestine." President Peres stressed that Secretary Kerry's peace initiative is serious and can provide an economic framework for a diplomatic process, "We must not miss the opportunity for peace, we must find a way to return to the negotiating table, only through negotiations will the disagreements be overcome."
President Abbas stressed that his people want a future of peace and that peace will only come when a fully independent state of Palestine is created. President Abbas re-iterated his call to the Israeli public to learn more about the Arab Peace Initiative which offers Israel diplomatic relations and peace with the Palestinians and entire Arab world in exchange for a peace agreement with defined final borders for a Palestinian state.
