Al-Malki: Palestinians are committed to peace

Palestinian Authority foreign minister Riyad al-Malki on Saturday met with a delegation from France's Green Party and reiterated the Palestinian commitment to relaunch peace talks. Palestinians are dedicated to achieving peace and establishing an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, he told the group, stressing that the Palestinian Authority is cooperating with international efforts to relaunch peace talks. The Palestinian Authority FM briefed the French delegation about ongoing efforts to restart peace negotiations, explaining that Israel's settlement building was one of the major obstacles to the resumption of talks. Israeli policies in Area C have also led to environmental degradation and the pollution of Palestinian water sources, he added. President Abbas said this week that he wants to return to negotiations "as soon as possible." "The ball is in the Israeli court," Abbas told reporters in Ramallah. "Palestinian demands are known by Israel and the US, and now it’s time for Israel to accept them in order to start the negotiations." PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said earlier that the Palestinians were making "every possible effort" to help Kerry succeed in bringing the two sides to the table.