Israeli and Palestinian leaders have traded pointed barbs at the UN general assembly, in a rhetorical exchange that underlines the deep differences between the two sides – and the dim prospects for meaningful dialogue. But Netanyahu insisted on Thursday that the central problem was Palestinian rejectionism, not Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. Speaking an hour before Netanyahu, Abbas told the general assembly that Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank was destroying “whatever possibility is left for a two-state solution”. “This conflict has never been about the settlements or about establishing a Palestinian state,” Netanyahu told the UN. Read moreNetanyahu’s comments came despite the fact that Abbas had reiterated his view of Palestinian recognition of Israel in his speech.

Source: The Guardian September 22, 2016 19:24 UTC