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Palestinian Foreign Ministry said that the call by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold direct bilateral negotiations aims to "cover" for its rejection of the French initiative to hold an international peace conference.
The foreign ministry said in an emailed statement that Netanyahu's statements after his meeting with French Prime Minister Manuel Vallson Monday is an attempt to "hide behind the smoke and beautify his rejection of the French initiative and the international efforts to revive peace efforts and hold meaningful negotiations."
The statement questioned Netanyahu's evasion from the conference saying "if he wanted real peace with the Palestinians and seeks it, why is he afraid and rejecting the international participation in peace efforts."
While the ministry said that the past 20 years of negotiations with Israel have proved futile, the statement said that it is important to hold on to international participation in order to guarantee Israeli adherence to its obligations under any peace agreements.
It accused Netanyahu of attempting to "stall time to implement his settlement activity and judiazation that are responsible for failing peace efforts."
Following his meeting with Valls on Monday, Netanyahu renewed his rejection to the French initiative saying he "would be happy to accept any other French initiative, other than the current one to resume the peace process with the Palestinians."
France is expected to host on June 3, a meeting for over 20 foreign ministers including the U.S. state secretary John Kerry.
The peace talks between Israel and Palestine have been stalled since April 2014. The U.S. - sponsored talks that lasted for nine months achieved no tangible results.
(APD)
