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Palestinians to push for statehood

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu failed to address peace process issues in his speech before U.S. Congress. UPI/Debbie Hill
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu failed to address peace process issues in his speech before U.S. Congress. UPI/Debbie Hill | License Photo

RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 25 (UPI) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu failed to address the peace process in his speech before the U.S. Congress.

At the start of a leadership meeting in Ramallah Wednesday, the Palestinian leader accused Netanyahu of distancing himself from the peace process, saying the Israeli prime minister failed to address positively any of the issues up for negotiations, Israel Radio reported.

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Because of the situation, the Palestinians are left with no choice but to push ahead for a unilateral declaration of statehood at the United Nations, the radio quoted Abbas as saying.

Senior Fatah official Abbas Zaki said a suitable response to Netanyahu's speech is to stage an uprising similar to those in Egypt and elsewhere in the region.

"We must set fire to the area as they did in Egypt ... we must act against the Israeli enemy," he told Israel Radio Wednesday.

Senior Palestinian Authority official Nabil Shaath accused Netanyahu of damaging peace negotiations.

In an interview on Israel Radio, Shaath criticized Netanyahu's claims that returning to 1967 lines would harm Israel's security.

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Netanyahu's statements "wage a war on the diplomatic efforts" to bring about a final settlement, he said.

The Palestinian Authority will push ahead with efforts to garner a declaration of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, he said.

We will do "what Israel did in 1948 and got to the United Nations and ask for the state promised to us," Shaath said.

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