Senior Palestinian Claims Peace Talks With Israel Are Going Nowhere

An aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that peace talks with Israel are proving pointless and won't yield much if there is no pressure from Washington

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A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that peace talks with Israel are proving pointless and will not bear fruit without much greater pressure from Washington, Reuters reported.

“Israel did not commit to stopping settlements and we see the continuation of the settlement policy as destroying any possible chance of a deal,” said the aide, Yasser Abed Rabbo, according to Reuters.

Peace negotiations began in July after a three-year hiatus. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has given the two sides nine months to reach a deal, with meetings taking place in both Jerusalem and the West Bank. Little information has been given about the focus of the initial talks but Abed Rabbo said that the continued building of Israeli settlements on land the Palestinians want for their future state has undermined the Palestinians’ will to negotiate, Reuters reported.

An official in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on Abed Rabbo’s remarks, saying that both sides had agreed that only the U.S. should speak about the talks, Reuters reported.

[Reuters]