ISRAEL REJECTS FRENCH PEACE INITIATIVE:

Jerusalem on Thursday 28 April 2016, responded to the looming French peace initiative, which is to involve an international effort forcing peace talks on Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). As part of the French initiative, an international summit has been announced for 30 May 2016, in which ministers from 20 countries will prepare an international summit in the second half of 2016, which would include Israeli and PA leaders. "Israel adheres to its position that the best way to a solution of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is direct bilateral negotiations," read the Prime Minister's Office statement on the initiative on Thursday. Restating PM Binyamin Netanyahu's frequent public offers to negotiate with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the statement said, "Israel is prepared to start negotiations immediately with no preconditions. Any other diplomatic initiative distances the Palestinians from the table of direct negotiations." The French initiative aims to force discussions based on the 2002 peace initiative, which was rejected by Israel as it demands the Jewish state make enormous withdrawals and accept an influx of "Palestinian refugees," only to receive a paper promise of normalization from Arab states in return. (Arutz-7)