Palestinians urge Israel to seize Quartet peace offer
AFP
UNITED NATIONS- The Palestinians Friday urged Israel to seize the opportunity offered by the Quartet's latest peace blueprint, while an Israeli official said the Jewish state was studying the proposal.
"We hope Israel will seize the opportunity offered by the Quartet," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP shortly after the Quartet of Middle East peace brokers -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- submitted a new proposal for the sides to reach a deal by the end of 2012.
A senior Israeli official said his side was "currently studying the statement."
The Quartet's statement came just hours after Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas submitted a request to become a full UN member state, a move that has angered Israel and the United States.
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