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Mahmoud Abbas: Israel Must Choose Between Peace and Settlement Construction

September 26, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) – Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly that Israelis have a choice between peace and construction of settlements in the occupied territories, in a report by Reuters on Saturday.

The Palestinian Authority (PNA) and Israel began a fresh round of negotiations last month with direct backing of the Obama administration. Earlier talks initiated by former US government administrations have all failed to bring a lasting peace to this volatile region.

One of the key stumbling blocks in the current talks remain Israeli regime’s plan to construct large apartment blocks in the East Jerusalem and West Bank contrary to international norms. Israel has been occupying the said territories following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Tel Aviv has set it own deadline until today for restarting construction of controversial settlements. The PNA chief told the UN General Assembly on Saturday, ‘Israel must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements, therefore a halt to settlement construction was Israel's long-standing commitment, not an arbitrary pre-condition put forward by the Palestinians.’

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit also warned Israel over restarting settlement in the area. He said, ‘if Israel fails in its commitment to continue freezing its settlement activities, then it would expose the negotiation process to failure and it would shoulder full responsibility before the region and world public opinion.’

The construction of apartment blocks in East Jerusalem and west Bank remain a key issue during the PNA-Israeli talks

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