Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris next week focusing on the "peace process" and elections, the PA’s “foreign ministry” said Thursday, according to the AFP news agency.

Abbas, who is due to meet Macron on July 20, will also discuss "putting pressure on Israel to provide the appropriate atmosphere for holding the Palestinian elections, specifically in the city of Jerusalem", a statement read.

The PA chairman previously met Macron in 2020, when he expressed hope that France will recognize a Palestinian state.

Palestinian Arab officials have been pressuring countries to officially recognize “Palestine”, in a move meant to bypass direct peace talks with Israel.

Source: INN - Photo: Reuters