CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - Israeli President Shimon Peres said there's no real chance of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The dovish president's remarks were made last Saturday evening at a dinner with the French and Jordanian ambassadors hosted by Defense Minister Ehud Barak at his Tel Aviv home.

Ali Ayed, an attorney who generally shares the president's dovish views, said Israel would not achieve a peace deal as long as Mahmoud Abbas was president of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Barak supported Ayed's position, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.

In remarks that surprised the other dinner guests, Israel's octogenarian president -- a long-time supporter of what he termed the "new Middle East" -- said the split between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah would prevent a peace agreement.

"It would be very hard to reach an agreement," Peres said, adding that the Palestinian people have no faith in Abbas.

Even if an agreement were reached, it wouldn't last under the weak PA government. Therefore, the chance of a peace deal is nil, he said.

Source: Haaretz