Presidents Putin and Abbas meet in Sochi as Middle East peace process continues to stagnate.
ADVERTISEMENTRussian President Vladimir Putin has met with the Palestinians’ President Mahmoud Abbas in Sochi, where the two men reaffirmed their commitment to seeking a Middle East peace.
It comes at a time of high tension in Israel, with an ongoing hunger strike by 1,000 jailed Palestinians, and no movement in the stalled peace talks.
“The Palestine-Israel conflict can only be a political, negotiation-based solution based on international rights. I would like to underline that the peaceful coexistence of two states of Palestine and Israel is the indispensable condition to provide true security and stability in the Middle East,” said Putin.
Abbas brought up the issue of the 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails currently on hunger strike with Putin, and briefed him ahead of President Trump’s visit to Israel later this month.
“We believe that the fight against terrorism and extremism is an international responsibility. We are committed to that and we believe that giving our people freedom and independence will remove the nucleus from extremism, and will help to provide a foundation for peace and security in our region,” said Abbas.
On Thursday, Israel’s UN ambassador criticised the attitude of the Palestinian Authority towards terrorists and their families, paying them compensation if attacked or killed by Israeli security forces.
Danny Danon claimed Abbas and his government has used 130 million dollars of mostly foreign aid money to pay the families of imprisoned or killed activists.