RAMALLAH, February 1, 2012 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday said that Israeli intransigence was the reason for the failure of efforts to revive the peace process and resume negotiations.

Abbas said during a meeting with the German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah that Israel’s refusal to recognize the borders of the Palestinian state and to stop settlement activities foiled all international attempts to revive the peace process and resume negotiations.

He said the Palestinian side was willing to resume negotiations once Israel accepts a two-state solution and stops settlement activities in the Palestinian Territory.

He said that the Palestinians were committed to achieving peace and ending the Israeli occupation.

Abbas valued the German government’s decision to upgrade the status of the Palestinian delegation in Germany to the level of a mission and its support for UNRWA with $11 million.

M.H./M.S.