Palestinians: no talks without settlement freeze

The Palestinians cant resume negotiations with Israel under current conditions and will pursue their bid to win UN recognition, a top Palestinian official said Thursday, after President Mahmoud Abbas and senior officials reviewed the latest appeal from Mideast mediators to restart talks and reach a deal within a year.Last week, Abbas asked the UN to grant full membership to a state of Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. In a turning point for Palestinian diplomacy, Abbas overrode strong objections by the US which, like Israel, argues that a state must arise from negotiations.Since returning from the UN, both Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have tried to avoid being blamed for the deepening impasse.The Palestinians say they cant be expected to negotiate while Israel keeps expanding settlements, thus pre-empting the outcome of a deal. They say they suspect Netanyahu wants talks as a diplomatic shield, but is not interested in reaching a deal.Netanyahu alleges the Palestinians are not serious about peace and says he is ready to negotiate at any time. However, the Israeli leader refuses to halt settlement construction or recognize the pre-1967 frontier as a baseline, rejecting internationally backed positions and Palestinian demands.After the Palestinians UN bid, the Quartet of Mideast mediators the US, the UN, the European Union and Russia called for the resumption of talks and a deal within a year. The Quartet statement did not specifically refer to the two Palestinian demands but listed a number of speeches, UN resolutions and other documents that contain them.Members of the Security Council who want to see the peace process move forward and the early resumption of direct talks between Israel and Palestinians should not be supporting this Palestinian unilateral act, Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev said.On Thursday, Abbas consulted with officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization and his Fatah movement on what to do next.Yasser Abed Rabbo, the secretary general of the PLO, said after the meeting that the Quartet statement contained encouraging elements, but that this is not enough to resume negotiations. The Palestinians are eager to restart talks, but Israel first has to commit to all references in the Quartet statement, especially concerning the borders of 1967 and stopping settlement activity, he said.