The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has indicated he plans to attend the funeral of the former Israeli president and prime minister Shimon Peres on Friday, despite the strong opposition of some in his Fatah movement. But, with negotiations frozen since 2014, it had been unclear whether Abbas would travel to Jerusalem from nearby Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. News of Abbas’s desire to attend emerged after his office approached an Israeli military coordinating unit, and it was reported that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had approved the delegation’s attendance. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bill Clinton views the coffin of Shimon Peres which is lying in state outside the Knesset. In contrast, Abbas hailed him as a brave partner for peace in a letter of condolence to Peres’s family.

Source: The Guardian September 29, 2016 16:52 UTC