Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris next week focusing on the “peace process” and elections, the Palestinian foreign ministry said Thursday. 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. Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have not been held since 2014. Palestinian elections scheduled for last year were cancelled, with Abbas citing Israel’s refusal to allow them to take place in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. The announcement came after Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki met his French counterpart Catherine Colonna. Last week, Israel’s new Prime Minister Yair Lapid headed to Paris for his first foreign trip as leader to meet Macron, who said there was “no alternative to a resumption of political dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians”. Abbas is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden on Friday in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.