Benjamin Netanyahu calls Paris peace conference a `fraud`

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

"This conference is a fraud, a Palestinian fraud supported by France, the aim of which is to adopt additional anti-Israeli positions," Netanyahu said during a meeting with the Norwegian foreign minister, according to his office.

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