Abbas ready to address Israeli Knesset: Fatah official

RAMALLAH

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is ready to address the Israeli Knesset (parliament), a Fatah official told Anadolu Agency Thursday.

"President Abbas has expressed…readiness to address the Knesset based on a vision that calls for establishing a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders, not based on an invitation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Israel's Jewish nature," Mahmoud al-Madani said.

Last November, Netanyahu called on Abbas to go to the Knesset to recognize Israel's Jewish nature – a longstanding sticking point in the peace process.

The Washington-sponsored peace talks between the perennial adversaries resumed last July after a three-year hiatus.

Results of the talks – which are focused on final settlement issues, borders, Israeli settlements, Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees – have yet to be announced.

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