Washington Talks Aim to Undermine Influence of Quds Day

Islam Times reports from FNA: "The negotiations were indeed a move to defuse the effects of the International Quds Day," member of the parliament's presiding board Mohammad Hossein Farhangi told FNA, and condemned the Israeli-PA compromise talks held in Washington on Thursday.

"These measures are adopted in a move to undermine the power and influence of the Palestinian movement, and not to support them (Palestinian)," the lawmaker noted.

Farhangi further stressed that the new round of talks will yield no results since the Zionist regime of Israel and its supporters are not ready to accept the interests of Palestinians.

Tens of millions of people took part in the International Quds Day Rallies on Friday to stress their support for the oppressed Palestinian people against the Zionist regime of Israel.

In Iran, millions of people took to the streets in all cities across the country to shout their strong and everlasting support for the Palestinian nation against the Israeli regime.

Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas held the first round of talks in Washington on Thursday.

The thorniest issues between the negotiating sides are Israel's refusal to halt its illegal settlement activity in the West Bank and in East al-Quds.

International observers, in general, believe that the ongoing talks would not yield any substantive result that could end the six-decade-old conflict between the two sides.

The talks froze in December 2008 after Israel launched a deadly attack on the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of 1,400 at the turn of 2009.

Acting Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Mahmoud Abbas, who agreed to sit at the negotiating table with Israel without any preconditions, is facing mounting criticism from Palestinians who accuse the PA of bending under "US and Israeli pressure".

Palestinians have also raised concerns that further concessions on the part of Abbas could lead to an intensified violation of their rights by Israel.