Netanyahu calls on Abbas not to give up on peace talks

Following newspaper report in which PA president threatens to leave talks if pressured, PM says agreement can be reached through negotiations.

Binyamin Netanyahu (photo credit: Associated Press)
Binyamin Netanyahu
(photo credit: Associated Press)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called on his partner in peace negotiations Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas not to give up on a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Monday. Netanyahu's comments came at a meeting he held with Democratic members of the US congress at his office in Jerusalem.
The prime minister added that the two sides agreed on many subjects during preliminary talks and that the only way to arrive at an agreement on those subjects is through a year-long round of direct, consecutive and uninterrupted negotiations.
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Earlier on Monday,  Palestinian newspaper Al Quds reported that Abbas declared during a visit to Libya that if he is pressured on key issues at the direct talks, such as borders and refugees, he will not accept it and "will take his bags and leave.
"I will not be pressured into signing anything or taking even one concession with relation to all the aggressive attitudes around me," Abbas reportedly told the east Jerusalemnewspaper.
The paper reported that Abbas arrived in Tunisia to update president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on the direct negotiations.
Abbas also criticized other claims which have been directed towards him such as the slogan "enough with the concessions," Al Quds reported. The PA chairman questioned these allegations and said that "we have not conceded anything."
"The issues are clear. It is true that we are entering negotiations but we will not digress from our position on certain issues," Abbas said.