Abbas: No Talks Without Settlement Freeze

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stated on Thursday that the Palestinians won't continue peace talks with Israel if new settlement construction is not stopped, according to Israeli Radio. In his meeting with PLO representatives in Jordan, Abbas called for an official pledge to extend the construction moratorium.

The president also reportedly said that the Palestinians offered all the assurances and fulfilled all their pledges, but Israel did nothing to promote peace. Senior Palestinian officials told that Washington has urged Israel to extend the construction moratorium by two months.

A US official monitoring the talks said on Wednesday that Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to reach a settlement in order for the talks to continue. Palestinian officials told the same thing, and Israeli officials believe that Mr. Netanyahu doesn't want negotiations to break down.
 
The Obama administration is working tirelessly, putting pressure, presenting proposals and providing assurances to both parties, prior to meeting of Arab leaders on Friday whose support the Palestinians require to proceed.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with ex British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday, who now represents the "Quartet" for Middle East peace. She met Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Tuesday.

P.J Crowley, the spokesperson for State Department, told Wednesday, "We're at a critical stage in the process. We want to see the negotiations continue. We don't want to see the parties step away from this process, and we continue to offer ideas to both sides as to how to navigate through the settlement issue that currently confronts us".