Netanyahu hails Abbas' criticism of Israeli teens' abduction

Jerusalem, June 24 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appreciated a statement made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last week, in which he condemned the kidnapping of three Israeli teens.

Netanyahu made the remarks before he started talks with visiting Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta in Jerusalem, Xinhua quoted a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office here as saying.

Netanyahu also said the only way in which the two sides can move forward in future is for Palestine to stop working with the Islamic Hamas movement.

Abbas last week denounced the recent kidnapping of the three missing Israelis, and urged the perpetrators to return them safely, adding that whoever is behind this attack is set to destroy the Palestinian Authority.

To find the missing three, Israel has launched a large-scale manhunt, in which more than 400 Palestinians were arrested so far, some of whom affiliated with Hamas. The search for the three, last seen hitchhiking near Hebron in the West Bank, is currently focused on southern Hebron.