Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated Thursday his resolve to end the Mideast conflict and start "a new era for the Israelis and the Palestinian people ... that brings peace, justice and security for all."
He said security was fundamental to achieving this goal, stating that "peace is vital not only for Palestine and Israel but also for the entire region."
"The PLO is adamant about bringing in a just peace," he said.
Abbas again condemned the latest violence in Ramallah, where gunmen opened fire on a vehicle and wounded two Israelis on Wednesday, DPA reported. On Tuesday, the Palestinian militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for an attack that killed four Israelis in what was seen as an attempt to undermine the peace talks that started Thursday in Washington.
"We not only condemned the operations, but we also followed up on the perpetrators ... We cannot allow for anyone to do anything that would undermine your security and our security," Abbas said, as he looked at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Abbas noted that the two sides "must start from scratch ... because we have had many rounds of negotiations between the PLO and the Israeli government."
But he emphasized that "in order to end the conflict ... and to bring peace and security for all the peoples in the region, I call on the Israeli government to move forward on the commitment to end all settlement activity and lift the embargo on the Gaza Strip.
