Palestinians pin hope on Israeli elections for peace

A senior Palestinian official said on Sunday that the Israeli parliamentary elections would bring a government that is "able to make peace", a media report said.

"The Palestinian position is clear and well-known that it is in favour of making peace," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Voice of Palestine Radio.

"We look forward to seeing an Israeli government able to make peace".

The Israeli parliamentary elections will be held on March 17.

The US-sponsored direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians has been stalled for about a year due to differences between the two sides over the issues of Israeli settlement, borders and security, according to Xinhua.

"The Palestinian peace is based on establishing a Palestinian state after Israel withdraws from the territories it occupied in 1967 with east Jerusalem as its capital and resolve all other permanent status issues," Erekat said.

"If Israel really wants peace, it has to be committed to peace requirements," he said, adding that "we don't need more negotiations and all what we need is necessary decisions".

The Palestinians want the eastern part of Jerusalem to be the capital of the future Palestinian state, while Israel considers all of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the state of Israel.

"Any Israeli knows well that there will be no peace process and no permanent solution without having east Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state."

Erekat added that US Secretary of State John Kerry, who recently met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, told Abbas that the US was committed to the two-state solution.