Why Palestinians aren't holding their breath for Moscow meeting
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Russia despite the latter’s rejection of the Palestinian preconditions.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Sept. 8 that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have tentatively agreed to hold a meeting in Moscow in a step toward resuming political contacts between the two sides. Peace talks have been stalled since late 2010 due to Israel's ongoing settlement activities in the West Bank and Jerusalem. A date for the meeting has not yet been set.
The PA had set three conditions for the resumption of political negotiations with the Israelis: halting the construction of settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank, releasing the fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and ending the Israeli occupation by 2017.
