Asia

Asia

Abbas asks US to step into settlement dispute

07 September 2010 23:45 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he has asked the U.S. to settle a dispute with Israel over settlement expansion that is threatening to derail Mideast peace talks, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com website.
Israel’s 10-month partial freeze on new construction in West Bank settlements ends Sept. 26, and Israeli officials have indicated they will not extend the freeze as is. Abbas has said he’ll quit peace talks with Israel unless the restrictions remain in place.
Abbas said late Monday that he has asked the U.S. "to intervene in the settlement issue."
The Obama administration has promised an active role in the talks, Abbas told reporters accompanying him on his way back from Washington, where direct negotiations were launched last week after a hiatus of nearly two years.
"The U.S. will be present at the negotiations, not necessarily behind closed doors, but (U.S. mediators) can be inside the room or outside," Abbas said.
Settlements take up land the Palestinians want for a state, and Abbas views Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision on the freeze as a test of his intentions.
President Barack Obama wants Abbas and Netanyahu to agree on the main principles of a peace deal within a year, but gaps remain wide. In Washington, Netanyahu â€” who long opposed Palestinian statehood before accepting the idea last year â€” struck a conciliatory tone.
But in a message to the Israeli people on Tuesday before the Jewish New Year, Netanyahu said the negotiations’ success, while desired, "was not assured."
Palestinians still fear the Israeli leader plans to use the talks to buy time and establish more facts on the ground.
In Madrid Tuesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said it was ironic that Israel halted settlement construction when there were no talks, but might resume the building during negotiations.
"The international community needs to state firmly that Israel must put an end to settlements and to end the occupation," he said.
Abbas and Netanyahu will meet twice next week, first in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and then in Jerusalem. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend both meetings.
The Israelis are negotiating with Abbas, who has limited governing power in the West Bank under Israel’s overall security control. The Gaza Strip, located on the other side of Israel, is controlled by Abbas’ rivals, the Islamic militants of Hamas, who do not recognize Israel and reject negotiations. Clashes and rocket fire are common along the Gaza-Israel border.
On Tuesday, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Israel. No one was hurt.