RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — An aide to Mahmoud Abbas says the Palestinian president told a visiting U.S. envoy he will not resume peace talks without an Israeli settlement freeze.
Abbas has been under growing U.S. pressure to soften his stance. But he has been adamant and reiterated his position in a meeting Friday with U.S. envoy George Mitchell.
The meeting came after President Barack Obama said in an interview published in Time Magazine on Thursday that he may have overestimated his ability to restart the talks.
Abbas’ aide Saeb Erekat says the responsibility is on Israel, not the Palestinians.
Israel has refused to commit to an internationally mandated settlement freeze. It says it’s ready to resume negotiations but that the Palestinians are placing unreasonable preconditions.
