Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Palestinians on Sunday to recognize the Zionist entity as the state of the Jewish people if they want to achieve real ‘peace’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Palestinians on Sunday to recognize the Zionist entity as the state of the Jewish people if they want to achieve real ‘peace’.

In a speech at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv, Netanyahu defended the Israeli continued illegitimate settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Rejecting the fact that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) are the cause of the decades-old problem, Netanyahu said: “The Palestinians must abandon their refusal to recognize the right of the Jewish people to their national state.”

Such recognition was "a condition for reaching an agreement at the end of negotiations, but not for launching them", he added.

Netanyahu also urged the Palestinians to give up the right of return for refugees.

The talks are proving pointless and will not bear fruit, a top aide to acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas said on September 4.

"These negotiations are futile and won't lead to any results," Yasser Abd Rabbo stated. Rabbo said that the continued Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds had undermined the negotiations.