Left-wing Meretz party leader meets PA’s Abbas bringing ‘message of peace’

Left-wing Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg says that only her party “stresses peace.” Abbas says that the Palestinians have “no other option” aside from peace.

World Israel News Staff

Left-wing Meretz leader MK Tamar Zandberg met on Sunday in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas.

“We came with a message of peace in order to make clear that it is a supreme interest of the State of Israel,” said Zandberg, who headed a delegation, adding that peace must be a central issue in the election campaign leading up to next month’s ballot for Knesset.

Abbas slammed Israel’s decision to deduct 500 million shekels from the tax revenues that it collects for the PA, equalling the funds which the Palestinians earmarked for terrorists and their families.

“We turn to Israel and say that you have no right to hold our monies,” said Abbas, charging that “Israel is responsible for the economic problems that we are experiencing currently.”

The PA leader added that “we are not budging from our position of two states, fighting terror, and standing by our demand to receive our money.

“As you know, we seek peace and have no other option.”

Meretz has been promoting itself as the only true left-wing party amid a center-left challenge to the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Other parties don’t talk about the subject [peace] and hide it,” Zandberg said at the conclusion of the meeting with Abbas. “Meretz is the only one that stresses peace, negotiations and a two-state solution.”

The latest public opinion polls show Meretz maintaining its five parliamentary seats in the next Knesset.