Abbas says he is ready for dialogue with Israel and asks Cyprus for mediation

Meeting in Nicosia and a request for mediation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that he hopes peace talks with Israel will resume after a new Israeli government is formed. The statement was made at a meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, where Abbas asked Cyprus to act as a mediator in these efforts, Euronews reports.

Quotes from the parties

“For many years we have extended our hand to the Israeli side in order to achieve peace with it, so that Israel and Palestine can live in security, stability and peace,” Abbas said, adding: “We hope that immediately after the formation of a new Israeli government we will be able to enter into dialogue together.”

Cyprus's position

Christodoulides called Abbas's visit “an important moment” for the region and said that the Republic of Cyprus is ready to play any role that Palestine considers necessary to achieve the common goals of creating conditions for security and stability. Later, at a working lunch attended by delegations from both sides, Abbas emphasized that Cyprus has “excellent relations” not only with the Palestinians but also — “quite fairly” — with Israel, and therefore it can mediate between the parties on the basis of a political solution grounded in international law and the resolutions of the Security Council and the UN.

Context and what remains unclear

The report records only the position of the Palestinian side and Cyprus's readiness: it does not follow from it that the Israeli side has already responded to the proposal or that talks have in fact been scheduled. It is also not clear from the report which government, and with what composition, is expected in Israel — Abbas refers to its formation as a condition for starting dialogue. Thus, at this point this is a statement of readiness and a request for mediation, not an agreed arrangement for negotiations.