Palestinians say US-backed Mideast summit is ‘futile’

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territory – A senior Palestinian official says the Palestinians have not been invited to next week’s Mideast conference in Poland and have no desire to participate unless the U.S. changes its policies.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Wednesday that current American policies will “only lead to futile results.”

The U.S. and Poland are sponsoring the Feb. 13-14 conference, which they say is aimed at promoting peace and security in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans on attending.

The Palestinians accuse the Trump administration of being unfairly biased in favour of Israel. They say they will reject a planned U.S. peace initiative unless it endorses an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with east Jerusalem as its capital.