GAZA, September 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Palestinian radical Islamist group Hamas criticized on Monday the Palestinian president after he agreed to meet with the Israeli prime minister in New York.
U.S. President Barack Obama is due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on September 22 within the framework of the United Nations General Assembly which will focus on efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict.
"We look at this meeting with suspicious and doubt. It proves that the PNA leader has given in to the will of the Zionists and Americans and has gone back on his previous statements not to hold any talks with Zionists until the construction of settlements has been completely stopped," Hamas said in a statement.
The issue of Jewish outposts has become the main obstacle to reviving peace talks with the Palestinians, and a sticking point in relations with the United States, Israel's main strategic ally.
Under the internationally agreed roadmap for Middle East peace, Israel is obliged to freeze all settlement construction activity, and remove unauthorized outposts built since 2001.
The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, said last Wednesday that Arab countries see no reason to normalize relations with Israel while Tel Aviv continues building illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land.
