Israeli-Palestinian peace talks can no longer be pushed off indefinitely: UN envoy

By Betul Yuruk

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - Negotiations to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can no longer be pushed off indefinitely, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process said Wednesday.

"The absence of a meaningful peace process to end the Israeli occupation and resolve the conflict is fueling a dangerous deterioration across the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, and driving the perception that the conflict is unresolvable," Tor Wennesland told the UN Security Council.

"The current course is leading us towards a perpetual state of violence and conflict."

He stressed the urgent need for meaningful initiatives to turn around the current trajectory.

Wennesland said that ending the occupation and realizing a two-state solution must drive the international community's collective efforts and Israelis and Palestinians must determine how they envision the future.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's mention of a two-state solution to the conflict during his address to the General Assembly last week was seen as a "positive development" by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas, however, said the real test to the seriousness and credibility for the Israeli government is to immediately go back to the negotiation table.