Paris Talks Participants Urge Israel, Palestine to Abstain From Unilateral Steps

Participants of the conference on the Israeli-Palestinian settlement called on parties of the conflict not to resort to unilateral actions that will not be recognized by the international community, the conference’s Joint Declaration said on Sunday.

PARIS (Sputnik) – Over 70 states and international organizations took part in the Paris conference. Israel has refused to take part in the event, saying that it preferred to hold bilateral talks directly with the Palestinian side.

"[Participants of the conference] call on each side to independently demonstrate, through policies and actions, a genuine commitment to the two-state solution and refrain from unilateral steps that prejudge the outcome of negotiations on final status issues, including, inter alia, on Jerusalem, borders, security, refugees and which they will not recognize," the declaration said.

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 objection from the United Nations.