Arab League calls for urgent meeting over Palestinian-Israeli peace talks

   
The Arab League called Wednesday on the Arab Ministers of Foreign Affairs to hold an urgent meeting over Palestinian-Israeli peace talks set to be held on April 9.

The Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi said that the meeting will tackle Israel's refusal to free a number of Palestinian detainees, a major sticking point in the long-term negotiations.

Al-Arabi added that the scheduled meeting comes under the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, noting that it will tackle the latest developments concerning the Palestinian cause, the release of the Palestinian detainees and the extension of negotiations.

The peace negotiations, aimed at creating a Palestinian state and ending a decades- long conflict, have also stalled over Palestinian opposition to an Israeli demand that the country be recognized as a Jewish state.

They say this conflicts with their own narrative for nationhood. But the talks veered toward this latest crisis on Saturday when Israel did not release the fourth and final batch of prisoners it had agreed to free as part of an accord that led to the revival of negotiations in July after a three-year break.

   

LBCI/REUTERS