No meeting with Israel PM: Mahmud Abbas

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Tuesday that an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had suggested delaying a proposed meeting between the two leaders in Moscow on Friday.

“Netanyahu’s representative proposed to delay this meeting to a later date. So the meeting will not happen,” Mr Abbas said at a joint press conference in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

“But I am ready and I declare again that I will go to any meeting.”

Mr Abbas had agreed to a Russian proposal to meet Mr Netanyahu as part of a new peace push, a Palestinian official said on Monday in Ramallah.

Mr Netanyahu said he was open to such a meeting together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Abbas said had been scheduled for September 9.

But the Palestinians have questioned Israel’s commitment to the initiative, and disagreements have derailed previous attempts to arrange talks. Mr Abbas said international help to end the conflict was crucial.

“The peace process has stalled because of the Israel’s position and we now need the political help of the US and the European Union, especially to rebuild our infrastructure,” he said.