(VOVworld)- Mohammed Shtayyeh, a senior advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine will not meet the deadline of a joint framework agreement by April 29.

A Palestinian activist protests at the Jewish settlement of Efrat in the West Bank. Photo: EPA

Shtayyeh said Thursday that Palestine’s biggest obstacle is Israeli request for recognition as a Jewish state. He explained President Abbas’s view that Palestine has acknowledged the Israeli state since the peace process began 2 decades ago, but cannot acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state because it will limit the choices of Palestinian refugees who want to return to Palestine and could lead to the expulsion of Arabs from Israel. According to Shtayyeh, Israel’s land requests are another obstacle to peace. Palestine wants to govern at the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, but it’s possible for Palestine to accept some minor adjustments regarding the dozens of settlements built by Israel in the occupied areas since 1967. Shtayyeh said Israel wants to take over the resettlement areas and protect its long-term presence in the Jordan Valley.