Paris hosts symbolic peace meet amid protests from Israel

French President Francois Hollande at the meet in Paris on Sunday.

Diplomats from 70 countries gathered in Paris on Sunday to try to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts amid fears of a new escalation if Donald Trump implements a pledge to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Neither Israel nor the Palestinians are represented at the conference, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed as “rigged” against the Jewish state.

‘Moving Israeli embassy’

Opening the meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the international community wanted to “forcefully reiterate that the two-state solution is the only solution possible” to the seven-decade-old conflict.

In a TV interview later, Mr. Ayrault warned that moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would have “extremely serious consequences” and predicted Mr. Trump would find it impossible to do so.

“When you are President of the United States, you cannot take such a stubborn and such a unilateral view on this issue. You have to try to create the conditions for peace,” he told France 3 TV.

Both Mr. Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas have been invited to meet with President Francois Hollande to discuss the conclusions of the Paris talks. Mr. Abbas, who has backed the meeting, is expected to travel to Paris in the coming weeks but Mr. Netanyahu rejected the offer, French diplomats said.

Three French Jewish groups called for a protest on Sunday outside the Israeli embassy in Paris to denounce the conference.

The meeting is mainly symbolic, but comes at a crucial juncture for West Asia, five days before Mr. Trump, who has vowed unstinting support for Israel, is sworn in as U.S. President.