PA wants direct Israeli answer to settlement question

The Palestinian Authority's caretaker Prime Minister Salam Feyadh has urged Israel to stop "equivocating" on the settlements issue.

"You know, this (the settlement issue) is not really something that is going to go away. And Israeli leaders are well advised to stop, you know, equivocating on the issue if this issue is to be resolved," Reuters quoted Feyadh as saying on Sunday.

His comments came on Sunday as Israeli President Shimon Peres, in a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, downplayed the construction of settlements in the occupied Palestinian land as a "marginal" issue blocking the resumption of peace talks.

"What's required is absolutely clear. The time has come for there to be a complete recognition of the need for ... a comprehensive settlement freeze in all of the occupied Palestinian territory — including, especially, in Jerusalem [Al-Quds] and around Jerusalem [Al-Quds]," Fayyad added.

Last week, Tel Aviv approved a plan to build 900 new homes in a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem Al-Quds.

Furthermore, Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi said on Friday that the Israeli municipality of the annexed city is preparing to build 15,000 new housing units, mainly in areas beyond the Green Line in the occupied West Bank.

US President Barack Obama, who has been making efforts to re-launch the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, termed Tel Aviv's decision as a "very dangerous" move that could fuel Palestinian anger.