Direct Talks Between Palestinian, Israeli Leaders Not Planned - Ambassador
09:52 29.01.2018(updated 10:47 29.01.2018)
https://sputniknews.com/world/201801291061149380-talks-palestine-israel-ambassador/

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Direct talks between the leaders of Palestine and Israel
have not been planned, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal
told Sputnik on Monday.

"No, this is not planned, absolutely. There are no plans for the meeting
between Abbas and Netanyahu as of now," the ambassador said, answering
whether direct talks between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were possible on the results of the visits
of the two leaders to Moscow on February 12 and January 29, respectively.

The visits will be held some two months after US President Donald Trump
announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and
instructed the US State Department to launch the process of moving the US
Embassy, currently located in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem problem is the cornerstone of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. The ancient city has been disputed ever since the foundation of
Israel and the first Israeli-Arab war in 1948. The city was then separated
into the Western and Eastern parts with the first one becoming a part of
Israel and the second one being viewed as the capital of future Palestine.

However, Israel seized the eastern part of the city in 1967 and recognize
the "undivided" city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.