Netanyahu slams Paris summit as 'rigged'
Israel's prime minister says an upcoming conference in Paris aimed at reviving peace talks with the Palestinians is "rigged" and Israel is not bound by the meeting.
Dozens of countries are set to attend the conference on the weekend, where they may endorse an international framework for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently opposes such a move, saying it would undermine the negotiating process.
"It's a rigged conference, rigged by the Palestinians with French auspices to adopt additional anti-Israel stances," Netanyahu said.
"This pushes peace backwards. It's not going to obligate us. It's a relic of the past."
The conference comes days before US President Barack Obama hands over to Donald Trump, who is expected to be much more sympathetic to Netanyahu's government than the outgoing administration was.
French President Francois Hollande said Sunday's conference aims at ensuring the support of the international community for the two-state solution as a reference for future direct negotiations.
"Peace will be achieved by Israelis and Palestinians, and nobody else. Only bilateral negotiations can succeed," Hollande said, adding that the abandonment of the two-state solution would undermine Israel's security.
He said the conference will push for concrete solutions to help develop energy, transportation and city infrastructure to benefit Israelis and Palestinians. French authorities are expecting 72 countries to attend.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu have been invited to come to France after the conference to be informed of its conclusions.
Netanyahu has declined the invitation. Abbas is expected to visit the French capital at the end of the week on the sidelines of the conference.
