PNA official says U.S. efforts to resume Palestinian-Israeli talks hit deadlock

A senior Palestinian National Authority (PNA) official Tuesday said the U.S. efforts to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians hit a deadlock, accusing Israel of thwarting these efforts.

Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, said the U.S. offer to hold proximity talks between the Palestinians and Israelis, which the Arab League and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) approved earlier last month, "has hit a deadlock."

Erekat also told Voice of Palestine radio that "Israel continued to impose facts on the ground," referring to the Israeli decisions in March to expand settlements in disputed East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.

The Arab League (AL) on March 3 gave a greenlight to a U.S. proposal to resume indirect peace talks between Israel and the PNA.

The Israeli approval in March of constructing 1,600 housing units in a Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem, however, foiled the U.S. attempt after more than 15 months of a standstill of peace talks between the two sides.

Erekat urged Washington to exert more pressure on Israel to freeze its settlement activities for the resumption of the negotiations between the two sides.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6942657.html.