Hamas censures French “illusory peace plan”

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has censured France’s peace initiative to renew talks between Israel and Palestinians.

Hamas Political Bureau chief Khaled Meshaal said Wednesday that the initiative ignores the Palestinians’ rights and interests.

He also said the international community is not serious enough abou putting an end to the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories, calling on all Palestinian factions not to be deceived by such initiatives.

Earlier this month, Paris hosted a gathering of more than 20 countries as well as UN and EU diplomats as part of its plan to revive the so-called peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Neither Palestinians nor Israel attended the conference.

The last round of the so-called peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians collapsed in 2014. Tel Aviv’s illegal settlement activities and its refusal to release senior Palestinian prisoners were among major reasons behind the failure of the talks.

Tel Aviv formally suspended the talks with the Palestinian Authority in April 2014 after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas forged a unity pact with the Hamas resistance movement, which is based in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Israel responded to the unity pact by announcing tenders for the building of 4,800 illegal settler units in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds (Jerusalem), and the Gaza Strip.

They are demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israel, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds (Jerusalem).