ISRAEL AND U.S. TRY TO REVIVE MIDDLE EAST PEACE TALKS
Baku, August 26 (AZERTAC). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with U.S. President`s Middle East envoy George Mitchell in London to revive Middle East peace talks.
The meeting followed talks with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, when Netanyahu rejected any construction freeze in occupied East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu has said Israel would not build new settlements, but wants to continue building within existing ones to allow for the “natural growth” of the communities living there.
He said he hopes that during upcoming talks with U.S. officials, they will find a way to both enter peace talks and allow settlement residents to continue with their lives.
After the talks at the Park Lane Hotel in central London, Netanyahu told reporters: “We are making headway. My government has taken steps in both words and deeds to move forward.”
The Palestinians have refused to re-enter peace negotiations unless Israel completely halts all settlement activity.
In recent months the US has also pressured Israel over a construction project in occupied East Jerusalem, where the Palestinians want the capital of their future state.
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