Abbas discusses Israeli-Palestinian conflict with US envoy to UN

Ramallah, Nov 18 (IANS) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

During their meeting at his office here on Wednesday, Abbas warned that Israel's practices in the Palestinian territories "would undermine the vision of the two-state solution", Xinhua news agency quoted an official statement as saying.

The President informed the envoy that the leadership in Ramallah rejects the Israeli government's decision to classify six Palestinian non-government organisations as terrorist groups.

The statement also said that he told Thomas-Greenfield that the Palestinians reject the Israeli policies against the Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

Abbas reaffirmed the Palestinian side's commitment to peace and to holding an international peace conference under the auspices of the international Quartet, which consists of the UN, the US, the European Union and Russia.

Following the meeting, the Ambassador tweeted: "Today I met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. We discussed rebuilding the US-Palestinian relationship, ensuring UNRWA lives up to its commitments, the importance of respecting human rights, and our shared commitment to a two-state solution."

The last direct peace talks between Israel and Palestine, which were sponsored by the US and lasted for nine months, stopped in 2014 following deep disagreements on issues related to Jewish settlements, borders and security.