Palestine's Abbas says won't let new armed confrontation

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said he won't allow any new armed confrontation of Palestinians. "There will be no return to armed struggle; it would destroy our territories and our country", he said in an interview to the Guardian newspaper. Abbas said he will resign if Israel continues settlement of the West Bank of the Jordan River.

The Palestinian leader also supported a US offer for "proximity talks" with Israel through American mediators. "If there is any substance in the response from the Israeli side - for example, if they accept the framework of a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and an end to occupation, with timelines and mechanisms - then there will be progress," Abbas was quoted by the Guardian as saying.  He said that is ready to direct talks with Israel if the freeze the construction of settlements on the Palestinian territories for three months and admit the border of 1967.