Palestine-Israel peace talk to resume?
Palestinian leaders on Oct 2, clearly stated that direct talks would not be possible unless Israel stops the building of Jewish settlements on occupied land.
The peace talk, which was launched in Washington in Sep 2010, faced crisis after the end of 10-month Israeli moratorium on new settlement building in the West Bank.
However, Israel stated that it would remove the freeze.
On the other side, a senior Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) official stated, "The resumption of talks requires tangible steps, the first of them a freeze on settlements."
US envoy George Mitchell, however, stated, "Peace in the region and an independent and viable state for the Palestinian people will be realistically achieved through direct negotiations."
The Isreali "moratorium" applied only for new construction that would start in the occupied Palestinian West Bank and did not apply to already-approved construction, infrastructure projects, or settlement expansion in occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem.
OneIndia News