For Macron, the resumption of peace negotiations in the Middle East remains "a priority"

Emmanuel Macron met on Sunday August 16 with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to whom he said that the resumption of peace negotiations in the Middle East remained "a priority". An interview which was held three days after the announcement of an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, hailed by Paris but criticized in Ramallah.

"I told him of my determination to work for peace in the Middle East," said the head of state in a message posted on Twitter.

Emmanuel Macron pleads for "a just solution" 

"The resumption of negotiations to reach a just solution that respects international law remains a priority," he added.

I spoke with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. I told him of my determination to work for peace in the Middle East. The resumption of negotiations to reach a just solution that respects international law remains a priority.

Friday, Emmanuel Macron hailed "the courageous decision of the United Arab Emirates", the day after the normalization agreement, hoping "that it will contribute to the establishment of a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians".

According to the official Palestinian agency Wafa, President Abbas reminded Emmanuel Macron that "the United Arab Emirates, like any other country for that matter, cannot speak for the Palestinian people" and that his authority "will not accept. that the Palestinian cause be used as an excuse to justify normalization. "

The Emirates had suggested in this regard that a normalization agreement with Israel would prevent the Israeli annexation project in the West Bank.

The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, for his part, congratulated himself on the "decision taken in this context" by the Hebrew state to "suspend the annexation of Palestinian territories", which must according to "allow him to" allow the resumption of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians with a view to establishing two states within the framework of international law and agreed parameters. "

Press release from Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs (11.08.20) https://t.co/sE63XMRqOs

The "Palestinian question" raised between the two leaders

According to Wafa, Emmanuel Macron invited Mahmoud Abbas to Paris for "consultations" on the "Palestinian question". The Palestinian president gave "his agreement" to this proposal "provided that the date is established quickly", according to the Palestinian agency.

The United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed on Thursday to normalize their relations, in a landmark deal brokered by the United States that, when signed, would make Abu Dhabi the third Arab country to follow this path. since the creation of the Hebrew state, after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994).

With AFP

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