Palestinian president demands Israeli settlement freeze before he’ll resume peace talks

October 4th, 2009 Mubarak urges Israel to resume peace talksCAIRO — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak urged Israel to resume peace talks with the Palestinians where they broke off more than a year ago, warning that the peace process "can't take another failure." Israeli-Palestinian negotiations tapered off last year and haven't resumed since last winter's war in Gaza and the election of Benjamin Netanyahu as Israeli prime minister. Since then, the two sides have yet to establish a framework to renew talks.

September 25th, 2009 Abbas: settlements block relaunch of peace talksUNITED NATIONS — The Palestinian president tells the U.N. General Assembly that Israel's continued settlement expansion is blocking the resumption of Mideast peace talks.

September 23rd, 2009 Israeli FM: US meeting proof firm stand paid offJERUSALEM — Israel's foreign minister says a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian and American leaders was a victory for Israel because it took place even though Israel refused demands to freeze settlement in the West Bank. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel Radio Wednesday that the government "kept its promises to the voter" and showed it is not necessary to "surrender and give in." Israel agreed only to slow settlement construction in the Palestinian territory for a limited time.

September 18th, 2009 Palestinian aide: No deal on resuming peace talksRAMALLAH, West Bank — President Barack Obama's special Mideast envoy was unable Friday to bridge wide gaps between Israelis and Palestinians on the terms of renewing peace talks, the chief Palestinian negotiator said. U.S. officials said mediation efforts would continue, however.

September 15th, 2009 Israelis, Palestinians present blueprint for peaceTEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli and Palestinian activists on Tuesdsay presented the most detailed vision yet of what a peace deal between the two sides could look like, aimed at showing that peace is possible despite the long deadlock in negotiations. The plan has no official standing, but has generated interest among Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

September 4th, 2009 Moussa: no to settlement freeze without JerusalemCERNOBBIO, Italy — The Arab League chief says any Israeli offer for a settlement freeze that doesn't include east Jerusalem is unacceptable and "will suspend the peace process." Amr Moussa spoke Friday at a conference on Italy's Lake Como. Moussa said a freeze of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope to make their capital, is a precondition for any meaningful talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

August 31st, 2009 EU: Fresh Mideast talks could be announced soonJERUSALEM — A top European Union official said Monday that renewal of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks could be announced in late September. The EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he expected a plan to reopen negotiations to emerge with the opening of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept.

August 28th, 2009 Egypt: Israeli freeze must include east JerusalemSTOCKHOLM — Egypt's foreign minister says east Jerusalem must be included in a freeze of Israeli settlement activity before Middle East peace talks can restart. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit told reporters in Stockholm on Friday that Jerusalem is Arab "and it will continue to be so." He said the Arab world expects the area to be included in a moratorium on Israeli settlements.

August 28th, 2009 US seen easing Israeli settlement demandsWASHINGTON — The Obama administration appears to be backing down on its insistence that Israel halt all settlement activity as a condition for restarting peace talks with the Palestinians. While U.S. officials insist their position on the matter has not changed, they are now hinting that a less blanket moratorium would be acceptable provided the Palestinians and Arab states agree.

August 24th, 2009 US says resumption of Mideast peace talks closerWASHINGTON — The State Department says its Mideast peace envoy is getting closer to winning agreement by the Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks. Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Monday that scheduled talks Wednesday in London between peace envoy George Mitchell and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not necessarily produce a breakthrough.

July 4th, 2009 Barak, Mitchell to meet again on settlementsJERUSALEM — An Israeli defense official says Defense Minister Ehud Barak is to hold a second round of talks with U.S. special Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell next week in an effort to resolve differences between the two sides on Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

July 1st, 2009 Israel considering options to promote peaceNEW YORK — Israel is considering what it can do to enable a full-fledged Mideast peace process and Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to take off, including instituting a temporary freeze on settlements, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday. But after four hours of talks with U.S.

June 27th, 2009 Israel deflects calls for settlement freezeJERUSALEM — Israel deflected growing international demands for a settlement freeze Saturday, saying the issue should be dealt with in future peace talks with the Palestinians. On Friday, the Quartet of Mideast mediators and foreign ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized nations, meeting in Italy, called for a halt in construction.

June 16th, 2009 Obama welcomes Israeli prime minister's speechWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's endorsement of Palestinian independence, saying the development shows the "possibility we can restart serious talks." Bending to U.S. pressure in a speech a day earlier, Netanyahu backed down on decades of opposition to Palestinian statehood by endorsing an independent state beside Israel.

April 27th, 2009 Abbas won't be pressured into talks with IsraelRAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians won't be pressured into resuming peace talks with Israel as long as construction in Jewish settlements continues, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday. Abbas said a complete construction freeze is a prerequisite for resuming talks.