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Israeli ministers slammed Palestinian Authority Chief over the so-called “peace” talks with the Israelis as Mahmoud Abbas was preparing to meet US President Barack Obama.
Enviroment Minister Gilad Erdan US Secretary of State John Kerry was "wrong" for pressuring the Zionist entity in peace talks.
"John Kerry is wrong because he is putting pressure on the wrong side," said Erdan, who is considered close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Kerry should be asking Abu Mazen (Abbas) why he is stubbornly refusing to recognize Israel as the Jewish state," he told public radio.
His remarks came two days after Kerry criticized Netanyahu's repeated demand that the Palestinians recognize the occupation entity as a “Jewish state.”
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Abbas was "not a partner for a final peace deal".
Abbas "is a partner for receiving, not giving," Yaalon told Israel's Channel 2 television in an interview.
"He is not a partner for a final agreement that would include the recognition of Israel as the national state of the Jewish people and that would end the conflict and all claims."
Abbas is due to meet Obama in Washington on Monday to discuss the stalled talks brokered by Kerry.
"He (Abbas) says it very clearly but no one seems to listen... I'm sorry to come to this conclusion, but this (deal) will not happen in my time," said Yaalon who is considered to be one of the most rightwing ministers in Netanyahu's coalition government.
The Abbas-Obama talks are likely to focus on a US-proposed framework to guide final status negotiations, before the impending deadline for the current round of talks on April 29.
Source: AFP | 16-03-2014 - 13:29 Last updated 16-03-2014 - 13:29 |