U.S. drops demand for Israeli settlement freeze

[shaayecanaan]

JERUSALEM — The United States on Tuesday abandoned its effort to persuade Israel to freeze construction of Jewish settlements, officials said, dealing a blow to efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Direct talks brokered by Washington were relaunched in September but broke down over the issue of settlements built on captured land that Palestinians seek for a state.

"We reached the conclusion this is not the time to renew direct negotiation by renewing the moratorium," a senior U.S. diplomat told reporters in Israel.

Palestinians have said they would not engage in any direct talks while Israelis build on territory seized in the 1967 Middle East War.

In Washington, officials said the United States was weighing a return to indirect talks following its failure to revive the direct negotiations.

Two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, gave three reasons why the Obama administration decided to abandon the effort.

They said that while Israel was willing to extend the moratorium it was not willing to freeze construction in East Jerusalem, something Palestinian officials had demanded as they want that part of the city as capital of their state.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40554057/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/