WASHINGTON — The second round of U.S.-brokered Mideast peace talks will be held next week, the State Department said Thursday, even as the Palestinians protested new Israeli settlement activity.
In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Israel’s latest settlement announcements were an indication of “Israel’s bad faith and lack of seriousness” in the talks.
The letter was sent Thursday, the same day that State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced that Mideast peace envoy Martin Indyk and deputy special envoy Frank Lowenstein were heading to the region for talks Aug. 14 in Jerusalem, followed by a later meeting in the West Bank.
The first round of negotiations, held July 31 in Washington, was the first major effort since negotiations broke down in 2008.
Israeli settlements long have been a contentious issue between the two sides.
The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — lands Israel captured in 1967. The renewed talks are to draw Israel’s borders with such a state. Since 1967, Israel has built dozens of settlements on war-won land — deemed illegal by most of the international community. Some 560,000 Israelis live in settlements.
On Thursday, a military official confirmed that the Israeli Defense Ministry had approved construction plans for more than 1,000 new apartments in settlements. This means the plans move forward, but still require final approval before construction can begin.
Earlier this week, the Israeli Cabinet expanded its list of West Bank settlements eligible for government subsidies. The Cabinet approved a range of housing subsidies and loans for more than 600 Israeli communities deemed “national priority areas,” including poor towns and 91 settlements.
Israeli officials have said the housing subsidies for settlements require additional government approval.
In his letter, Erekat urged Kerry to “take the necessary action to ensure that Israel does not advance any of its settlement plans, and abides by its legal obligations and commitments.”
He said the Palestinians see the move as direct defiance of the U.S. role in facilitating negotiations. Erekat said it’s difficult to see how peace talks can move forward while settlements expand.
Psaki said U.S. officials were speaking with the Israeli government to express concern about the settlements.
