Hamas Slams 'Absurd' Paris Peace Conference

Rasa - Palestinian movement Hamas rejected the outcome of a Paris conference, saying it was a return to the negotiation approach which lost the rights of the Palestinians.

News ID: 426608

Date: 17 January 2017 - 20:49

RNA - Hamas rejected the outcome of the conference as "absurd", New Arab reported.

"The Paris conference is a return to the absurd negotiation approach, which lost the rights of the Palestinian people and gave legitimacy to the Zionist entity on Palestinian land," Fawzy Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, said in a statement.

Hamas rules the Gaza Strip, while the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas controls the West Bank and is the partner for peace negotiations with Israel and the West.

Barhoum called for the various Palestinian factions to unite on a "national strategy" around the "resistance in defence of our people".

Around 70 countries attending Sunday's talks in Paris agreed a joint statement supporting an independent Palestinian state as part of a negotiated settlement with Israel.

The statement warned Israel and the Palestinians against "unilateral steps" that could threaten a two-state solution, but included no serious enforcement mechanisms.

Abbas ally Saeb Erekat hailed the conference as creating "momentum" towards ending Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.

However, Palestinian political scientist Khalil Shaheen said the declaration of the Paris conference was without teeth", referring to the lack of enforcement mechanisms.

The Israelis have warned they will not be bound by the declaration.

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