Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said talks with Israel were still on the table, despite Palestinian moves against the Jewish state at the United Nations and numerous failed rounds of negotiations.
Abbas was addressing the Palestinian leadership at the opening of a two-day conference in the West Bank to discuss the future of the Palestinian Authority. “We ask all countries of the world to recognize the state of Palestine,” he said. “But we want to say to the Israeli side, these recognitions do not mean in any way that we do not want to negotiate, or that we’re running away from negotiations.”
However, at the same meeting Abbas accused Israel of "gangsterism" over Jerusalem's decision to withhold the transfer of more than $100 million a month in tax revenues to the PA. "How are they allowed to take away our money? Are we dealing with a state or with a gangster?" Abbas asked a gathering of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council.
Israel said in January it was halting transfers in retaliation for a Palestinian decision to sign up to the International Criminal Court, where it plans to pursue war crimes charges against Israel.
US-backed talks between the Palestinians and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government collapsed in April after nine months of fruitless meetings amid bitter recriminations and mutual blame.
