France to Call International Meeting to Revive Israel-Palestinian Peace Talks Meeting of foreign ministers won’t include Israeli or Palestinian officials By Matthew Dalton
http://www.wsj.com/articles/france-to-call-international-meeting-to-revive-israel-palestinian-peace-talks-1461255823
PARIS—France plans to convene a meeting of international powers at the end of May to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, seeking to head off an escalation in tensions that resonate across the Middle East and Europe.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he is inviting foreign ministers from Europe, the U.S., the Middle East and Asia to Paris on May 30 to lay the groundwork for a new round of peace talks.
The goal is for major world powers to forge a common strategy for the negotiations without the presence of either Israeli or Palestinian officials, Mr. Ayrault said.
If the ministers make progress, Mr. Ayrault said he would host an international conference later this year that would include the Israeli and Palestinian leadership, at which talks would begin in earnest.
France’s attempt to restart the talks highlights mounting fears that a steady spate of attacks and killings by Palestinians and Israeli security forces could erupt into another full-scale conflict between the two sides in the coming months.
“The current situation is explosive,” Mr. Ayrault said. “There is urgency to act.”
Israeli officials had no immediate reaction, but they have sharply opposed an international peace conference, arguing that direct negotiations between the two sides are required to advance a peace agreement. A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority couldn’t be reached for comment.
Mr. Ayrault said the only solution to the long conflict remains a deal that would allow Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully side-by-side. But continued violence and Israel’s construction of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories could deal a fatal blow to the peace process, he said.
“The possibility of two states, the only possible solution, is under threat,” Mr. Ayrault said. “It’s threatened by settlements, but also the absence of the prospect of negotiations.” CONTINUE AT SITE
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