RAMALLAH, West Bank – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday wrapped up three days of intense Middle East diplomacy that produced good atmospherics but no sign that an impasse over Israeli settlement construction has been resolved.
“We all know that there is no alternative to peace other than negotiating peace, so we have no alternative but to continue peace efforts,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said. But he gave little indication that he was willing to keep talks going after a partial moratorium on Israeli settlement construction expires Sept. 30.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the 10-month moratorium by three months. Building could subsequently resume within Israel’s presumed future borders, but not beyond.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu told Abbas that the moratorium would not be extended, Israeli media reported. The prime minister’s office repeated that position in a statement Thursday.
But Netanyahu has indicated that some restrictions on construction will be applied, and U.S. officials are hoping that the momentum of the past few days will persuade the Palestinians to keep talking.
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