Israel / Palestine - Clinton tour

Abbas rejects peace talks without settlement freeze

Article published on the 2009-10-31 Latest update 2009-10-31 16:56 TU

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Rabat earlier this week
(Photo: Reuters)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday that Palestinians would not re-launch peace talks with Israel if there was not a complete freeze on Jewish settlements.

Clinton met Abbas in the UAE and travels to Israel later on Saturday for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani says that American diplomacy is now in trouble. "It began in January under the new administration, fell flat on its face," he says, "now in late October, early November, there's really precious little to distinguish it from that of its predecessor".

Clinton's meetings come after George Mitchell reportedly secured a deal that gives a temporary freeze on Israeli settlements.

"Once again, nothing is better than something", Rabbani says "if the something only serves as a cover for further Israeli consolidation of the occupation in the West Bank and Gaza strip".

 

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said that the Mitchell agreement presented to Abbas was short of the complete settlement freeze demanded by the Palestinians.

Erakat also said that Israel had refused to stop construction of 3,000 homes that are currently being built in the West Bank.

Rabbani says that "US policy appears to have become all about process and no longer about peace". He believes "the Americans are now just basically looking for formulas to keep the process going".