Netanyahu says Paris peace conference 'rigged' against Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called this weekend's Middle East peace conference in Paris "rigged" on Thursday, with his government refusing to play any role in the meeting.

"It's a rigged conference, rigged by the Palestinians with French auspices to adopt additional anti-Israel stances," Netanyahu said while meeting Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende.

"This pushes peace backwards. It's not going to obligate us. It's a relic of the past. It's a last gasp of the past before the future sets in."

Sunday's conference to be attended by some 70 nations is aimed at exploring ways to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

French President Francois Hollande said in a speech on Thursday that the aim of the conference was to restate the international community's support for the two-state solution and ensure that it remained a reference.

"I can see that this has been weakened on the ground and in the minds. If we let it whither away then it would be a risk for Israeli's security to which we are resolutely attached," Hollande said. "However, I am realistic on what this conference can achieve. Peace will only be done by the Israelis and Palestinians and by nobody else. Only bilateral negotiations can succeed."

Israel rejects the conference and calls for bilateral talks.

The Palestinians have welcomed the multilateral approach, saying years of negotiations have not ended Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.

The conference comes on the heels of a landmark UN Security Council resolution passed on 23 December calling for a halt to Israeli settlement building in Palestinian territory. The United States had declined to use its veto and abstained, allowing the measure to pass 14-0.

The Israelis and Palestinians will not take part in the main gathering, but Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is due to meet his French counterpart Francois Hollande on Monday to be briefed on the proceedings, Palestinian officials say.

"Israel cannot continue to be above the law," Mohammad Shtayyeh, a senior Palestinian official and Fatah central committee member, said this week.

"Israel has to be punished for not accepting the international resolutions and for not accepting the UN Security Council."