Netanyahu will not freeze settlements in return for resumption of negotiations

An Israeli official has claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not freeze West Bank settlements in order to facilitate the resumption of peace talks and negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the official said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has had such an opportunity once before: “This will not happen again.” If the Palestinians want to talk, he added, “They know we are waiting for them at the table”.

The paper noted that after four rounds of talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah in the past two months US Secretary of State John Kerry is seeking to revive peace talks between the Palestinian Authority and the Israelis.

“Kerry urged Israel to halt settlement activity voluntarily, but added that the demand for such a freeze, as a pre-condition to direct talks, was not helpful,” the Jerusalem Post pointed out.