The Paris Peace Conference which ended Sunday by calling for Israel and the Palestinians to accept a two-state solution was slammed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "useless" and "a last gasp of the past before the future sets in."
The peace conference was led by France and attended by representatives from roughly 70 countries, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, said CNN. Netanyahu refused to attend, calling the conference "rigged" and meant to adopt "additional anti-Israel stances," reported the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
"This pushes peace backwards," said Netanyahu. "It's not going to obligate us. It's a relic of the past. It's a last gasp of the past before the future sets in."
Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, also criticized the conference, noted CNN.
"(The conference) is so detached from reality that it has extended a hand towards Palestinian obstructionism instead of towards peace," said Danon.
The British Foreign Office said it had "particular reservations" about peace talks held without Israeli or Palestinian leaders, reported National Public Radio. The office publicly doubted the effectiveness of the conference since it was happening less than a week before Donald Trump takes office.
NPR said Trump had given signals that he would be supportive of controversial Israeli settlements. Trump's nominated ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, said he hopes to serve his position at a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.
"(The conference participants) emphasized the importance for the parties to restate their commitment to this solution, to take urgent steps in order to reverse the current negative trends on the ground, including continued acts of violence and ongoing settlement activity, and to start meaningful direct negotiations," said the conference statement, according to Haaretz.
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