Hamas says French initiative to hold international peace conference 'waste of time'

The Islamic Hamas movement said Sunday that the French initiative to hold an international peace conference to end the decades of conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis is "a waste of time and a vaudeville."

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zohri said told Xinhua that "all proposed initiatives to resume the settlement process (peace process) in the current phase is a waste of time and vaudeville to Palestinians."

He added that the French initiative is "like other initiatives that are being proposed in light of the continued Israeli occupation and its denial of Palestinians rights, which makes any initiative meaningless."

The Hamas spokesperson said that the Palestinian National Authority "backs such initiatives in order to misguide and distract the Palestinian people although it is aware that the settlement process has come to a dead end."

Meanwhile, Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat welcomed France's proposal to convene a peace summit on 30 May, including Arab and European states.

Erekat said in recent statements that the international community should back France and all influential countries in attempts to hold the international peace conference with pre-set references in compliance with international law.

On Friday, French Ambassador to Israel, Patrick Maisonnave, announced that he gave the Israeli Prime Minister Office an invitation to take part in the peace summit, according to the Israeli public radio.

The peace talks between Israel and Palestine have been stalled since April 2014. The U.S. sponsored talks that lasted for nine months achieved no tangible results.

Source: XINHUA