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The US has admitted it failed to secure a new Israeli settlement freeze, a Palestinian official said Thursday, dealing a potential knockout blow to renewed peace efforts, AFP reported. "The US administration has informed us that the Israeli government did not agree to a new settlement freeze," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "(But) Washington will continue its efforts." The statement came shortly after Israel revealed plans Wednesday to build new homes on West Bank land it has annexed as part of its Jerusalem boundaries, Reuters reported. The plan to build 625 homes in the urban area of Pisgat Zeev adjacent to Arab East Jerusalem was approved by an Israeli Interior Ministry committee last week, some two years after it was originally proposed, Israel Radio said. The plan further hampers any resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians, according to Reuters. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters Thursday, "This Israeli signal shows that they are not willing and not ready for any deal in order to resume the negotiations." A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't comment on the issue but pointed out that the premier told the Knesset on Wednesday that Israel was "working closely with the US ... to find an effective route to resuming talks," AFP reported. The US has been trying to convince Netanyahu to impose a new moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank. Abbas said he would not return to talks without a new ban on Jewish settlements. Agencies |
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