France is still pushing for convening an international peace conference with Israeli and Palestinians leaders despite Jerusalem’s opposition to such a format.

Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations’ General Assembly. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that France still wants to host such a conference before the end of the year. ‘’This week must be a moment of political mobilization that we can reach that goal,” he added.

Ayrault said several countries, including Egypt, Russia and the United States, are trying to restart talks between Israel and the Palestinians. He said he told them that “all efforts are in fact complementary of the French initiative.”

In his speech to the General Assembly, French President Francois Hollande said: “On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, France wants to convene a conference for negotiations by the end of the year.”

Israeli leaders have expressed concern that the French initiative, which has so far involved international leaders but no Israeli or Palestinian representatives, will allow the Palestinians to avoid bilateral talks.

France hosted an international meeting in Paris in June attended by more than two dozen Western and Arab countries to try to come up with a new strategy for Mideast peace and revive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, but the Israeli and Palestinian leaders were not invited.

The participants welcomed the “prospect” of a conference with both parties later this year.

Press report have noted that Russian officials have said recently that Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to meet “in principle” in Moscow.