U.S.: Settlement Freeze Will Be Discussed During Upcoming Peace Talks

By Natasha Mozgovaya (Haaretz) and Haaretz Service August 23, 2010

The possibility of extending, or ending Israel’s moratorium on West Bank settlement construction will be discussed within the context of upcoming direct Middle East peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, a senior U.S. official said Monday.

The comment by U.S. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley came after Palestinian officials had said in recent days that the resumption of settlement construction beyond the September 26 moratorium expiration date would cause the Palestinian Authority to withdraw from the recently accounted direct peace talks.

Earlier Monday, Haaretz reported that PA President Mahmoud Abbas had warned that renewed Israeli construction in settlements after the end of the construction freeze in late September would bring the newly-launched direct negotiations to a grinding halt.

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