Abbas calls for Mideast peace conference in rare UN speech

UNITED NATIONS: Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday called for an international conference to be held by mid-2018 to pave the way for Palestinian statehood and launch a new, wider Middle East peace process.

In a rare address to the UN Security Council, Abbas presented what he called a "peace plan" to revive the comatose Israeli-Palestinian talks with new international mediation -- in which the United States would have less weight.

"To solve the Palestine question, it is essential to establish a multilateral international mechanism emanating from an international conference," Abbas said.

President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem infuriated the Palestinians, who declared that Washington could no longer play a role as lead mediator in the Middle East peace process.

Abbas put the blame for the failure of peace efforts squarely on Israel, saying it was "acting as a state above the law."

"It has transformed the occupation from a temporary situation as per international law into a situation of permanent settlement colonization," he said.

Abbas said the conference should lead to full UN membership for the state of Palestine, mutual recognition of Israel and Palestine, and the creation of a new international mechanism to reach a final settlement.

The Palestinian leader immediately left the council chamber following his address, leaving Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon to complain that he was once again "running away" from dialogue.

"You have made it clear, with your words and with your actions, that you are no longer part of the solution. You are the problem," Danon said.