French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that a conference on the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, due to be held on May 30 in Paris, has been postponed.

French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that a conference on the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, due to be held on May 30 in Paris, has been postponed.

"(US Secretary of State) John Kerry cannot come on May 30 so it has been delayed. It will take place in the summer," he told French radio.

Hollande said it was vital for France to take "a strong initiative" in the dispute.
"If not... what will happen? Settlement building, attacks," he said.

The original date for the conference falls on the US Memorial Day holiday honoring members of the armed forces who died in combat.

"We're in discussions right now with the French about any possible alternative date that might better work for the secretary," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday, though he added that Kerry's agenda is currently "jammed".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was in Al-Quds Jerusalem and Ramallah on Sunday to present the French peace initiative to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas.

Ayrault received support from the Palestinians but objections from the Zionist entity, with Netanyahu questioning French "impartiality" after Paris voted in favor of making Palestine a UNESCO member five years ago.

"We are going to work will all the actors, the big countries and neighboring nations, to create the parameters that will allow the Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table," Hollande said Tuesday.