NEW YORK, July 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to resume direct peace negotiations. The Israeli leader's offer came just moments after Arab League foreign ministers, meeting in Cairo today, decided to endorse direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, albeit with the added qualifier that it is up to the Palestinian leadership to decide when and under what conditions they would engage directly with Israel.

"President Abbas now has the Arab League backing he sought to resume direct talks with Israel, which is the only path to resolving the conflict," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "For the sake of all Israelis and Palestinians who seek peace, Abbas should no longer delay in grasping Prime Minister Netanyahu's outstretched hand."

The U.S.-brokered proximity, or indirect, talks will end in September. President Obama has been pressing Abbas to resume the direct negotiations that were suspended by the Palestinians in December 2008.

In recent weeks, President Abbas has expressed resistance to resuming direct talks. He also has put forward a series of preconditions, including a complete halt to Israeli construction in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, and securing from Israel or the U.S. a written guarantee of the final borders of a future Palestinian state.

"Let's remember that Israelis and Palestinians have negotiated without preconditions since before the Olso Accords," said Harris. "Introducing preconditions now only creates obstacles to advancing the peace process."

http://www.ajc.org/

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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