“In order to bring peace and reach this agreement, France calls for the complete and definitive end to settlements because they threaten a two-state solution,” Hollande said after meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
“I said this to the Israelis as a friend and I say it here to the Palestinians. They must also make efforts to deal with difficult problems,” he said at a joint press conference.
Hollande made similar comments on Sunday upon his arrival in Israel though his main topic with his Israeli counterparts was Iran’s nuclear proliferation.
“France’s involvement to push for the recognition of two fundamental rights didn’t start today,” Hollande said at the press conference. “These are the right to a sovereign state for the Palestinians and the right to security for Israel. These rights aren’t contradictory; they can strengthen each other, because the best guarantee for security and peace for the Israelis is a viable and democratic Palestinian state.”
Hollande clarified France’s position, speaking of a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 lines with agreed-upon exchanges of territories and Jerusalem as the joint capital of both states.
Abbas reaffirmed the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the peace talks with Israel. The Palestionian Authority, he said, will continue to engage in negotiations with Israel until the end of the agreed-upon nine-month period, in accordance to its commitment to US. Secretary of State John Kerry.