Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has turned down an offer to hold a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because the latter has not announced a clear policy on relations with the Palestinians, according to Israeli daily newspaper Ma’ariv on Monday.
According to Ma’ariv, Netanyahu’s office planned to hold that meeting before the prime minister meets US President Barack Obama in Washington next week. They contacted Abbas’ office in an attempt to arrange a meeting between the two leaders, but the Palestinian answer was that Netanyahu must first declare his position on peace negotiations.
The report also said the Palestinian side demanded that the Israeli government recognize previously-signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, accept the two-state solution, and to completely stop settlement activity.
Netanyahu’s office denied the story, asserting that a meeting with Abbas is not on Netanyahu’s current agenda.
