国际英语新闻：Abbas asks Israeli PM to try Palestinians' peacemaking commitment

RAMALLAH, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday called on Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu to try the Palestinian abilities in making peace.

"Netanyahu should try us; we extend our hands to him and we are ready for peace based on international legitimacy," Abbas said, adding that the peace process must lead to a viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living alongside with Israel.

Abbas made his remarks after he met visiting German President Christian Wulff in the holy city of Bethlehem.

Abbas stressed that any Palestinian move to declare a Palestinian state unilaterally "would be peaceful and in the framework of peace and international legitimacy."

Meanwhile, Abbas said he is still waiting for a response over the results of the U.S. talks with Israel on freezing Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank.

The U.S.-brokered negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed after Israel allowed a partial moratorium on building to expire in September.

Abbas called for the resumption of the peace talks, adding there is an existing chance now to reach a compromise.

The German president said Germany supports the solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through peace talks on the basis of two-state solution.

Wulff also urged Islamic Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, to release an Israeli soldier that has been in captivity for more than four years.

Gaza militants led by the Hamas armed wing captured Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit in cross-border raid in June 2006 and demands Israel to free 1,450 prisoners for his release. Germany has been mediating between Hamas and Israel to swap Gilad Shalit for a number of Arab and Palestinian prisoners. German President Christian Wulff on Tuesday toured the holy city of Bethlehem and visited the Church of Nativity.

Bethlehem is the first stop of Wulff's visit to the West Bank. Wulff arrive in Israel on Nov. 27 and talked with Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu on halting the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.