Saudi FM says Israel's PM statement on two-state solution positive

Gulf Today Report

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister told the media on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's statement on the two-state solution with the Palestinians was "positive" when translated into action.

Peace needs direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians, added Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas confirms Lapid's call for two state solution was a "positive development," but said the test would be a return to negotiations.

"The real test of the credibility and seriousness of this position is for the Israeli government to immediately return to the negotiating table,” he told the UN General Assembly.

After affirming his support for Palestinian statehood at the UN, Lapid came under fire from right-wing critics and stirred doubts among the Palestinians on Friday.

His speech in New York on Thursday came as Israel heads into the Nov. 1 election that could oust Lapid and see the return of his rival, the hawk Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel seized East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza - areas the Palestinians seek for an independent state - in the 1967 Middle East war.

West-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks stalled in 2014.

Efforts to reach a two-state agreement, involving an Israeli state and a Palestinian state coexisting side by side, have long been stalled.