WASHINGTON - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell’s failure to get Israel to freeze settlement building in the occupied West Bank means peace talks are on hold

Mr. Abbas spoke after discussions Saturday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.

His remarks came a day after Mitchell left the region unable to broker a compromise on Jewish settlement construction, an issue seen as key to advancing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Palestinians want Israel to stop all settlement activity on land Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered a nine month freeze, but the U.S. wants Israel to halt all construction for one year. Israel also says some construction is necessary to allow for “natural” population growth in its West Bank settlements.  

U.S. officials say while there was no agreement on the settlement issue their mediation efforts in the region will continue.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. will keep pushing for a deal, but that it is up to the Israelis and Palestinians to remain engaged and resolve the dispute.  

While Israeli officials have said they are prepared to reduce construction on West Bank settlements for a limited period, they will not stop construction in East Jerusalem, which they say is part of their undivided capital.  Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the eventual capital of a Palestinian state.  

The United States supports a settlement freeze in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Source:  VOA News