Ex-Israeli PM Olmert: Abbas Is the Only Partner for Peace
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is Israel's only partner for peace, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader in New York on Tuesday, in which Abbas called for a resumption of peace talks from where they left off during Olmert's term.
In his statement, Olmert said that an Israeli-Palestinian peace requires direct negotiations between the two sides. He described Abbas as the only representative of the Palestinian people who is willing to negotiate with Israel, also praising him for fighting terrorism. The former prime minister however refrained from criticizing the American peace plan for the Middle East directly: "I don't miss an opportunity to do that in Israel, but I'm not going to do that here," he said.
>> Read more: U.S. envoy at UN: Trump Mideast peace plan is subject to changes
Abbas, who rejected Trump's peace plan in his speech to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, said that he and Olmert are in frequent contact. “I'm fully ready to resume negotiations where we left it with Mr. Olmert, under the umbrella of the Quartet,” Abbas said, emphasizing his opposition to violence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the meeting between Abbas and Olmert a “low point in Israel's history,” and referred to the former prime minister as the “adviser and close friend” of the head of Kahol Lavan, Benny Gantz. The former Israeli prime minister has served time in jail after being convicted for corruption.
Breaking news and analyses in your inbox
Email*
Please enter a valid email address
Sign up
Please wait…
Thank you for signing up.
We’ve got more newsletters we think you’ll find interesting.
Click here
Oops. Something went wrong.
Please try again later.
Try again
Thank you,
The email address you have provided is already registered.
Close
Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, also criticized Olmert's remarks: “On the same day that Abu Mazen failed to lead a UN maneuver against the State of Israel, Olmert chose to provide a tailwind for the Palestinians' diplomatic terrorism. Not only does this damage Israel, but it also damages the U.S., which presented an important plan for Middle East peace.”
Abbas said at a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon that he believes that Trump's peace plan was designed to destroy Palestinian nationhood and will not bring peace or stability to the region.