Abbas Calls Paris Conference ‘Last Chance’ to Resolve Conflict With Israel

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas stated that the Paris conference on the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be the last chance for the two states to achieve the solution.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The upcoming conference in Paris on the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be the last chance to resolve the dispute, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday.

On Sunday, Paris is going to host the conference on the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel refused to take part in the event, saying that it preferred to hold bilateral talks directly with the Palestinian side.

"The Paris conference may be the last chance for the two states to achieve the solution," Abbas told Le Figaro newspaper.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be also discussed at the bilateral meeting with French President Francois Hollande, Abbas added.

At the conference in Paris, Palestine will promote the two-state solution as the main means of settling the conflict with Israel, and will try to convince other attendees of its necessity, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) secretary-general Saeb Erekat said Friday.

After the Six Day War in 1967, Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula.

Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip. Israel has been building settlements on the occupied territories despite objections from the United Nations.