Abbas says talks with Israel still on table

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said today talks with Israel are still on the table, despite moves against the Jewish state at the UN and numerous failed rounds of negotiations.
Abbas was addressing the Palestinian leadership at the opening of a two-day conference in the West Bank to discuss the future of the Palestinian Authority (PA), whose existence is under threat after Israel cut off a key source of funds.
"We ask all countries of the world to recognise the state of Palestine," he said.
"But we want to say to the Israeli side, these recognitions do not mean in any way that we do not want to negotiate, or that we're running away from negotiations."

There was no immediate Israeli reaction to Abbas's speech.
US-backed talks between the Palestinians and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government collapsed in April after nine months of fruitless meetings amid bitter recriminations and mutual blame.
Relations have since further deteriorated, after a devastating war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza during the summer, and with Palestinian moves against the Israelis in the international arena.
The Palestinians submitted a UN Security Council resolution in December -- which was voted down -- calling for an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank within two years, and in January joined the International Criminal Court, where they plan to press for war crimes against Israel.