US envoy leaves Israel with no peace talks announcement (Roundup)

Nov 2, 2009, 15:00 GMT

Jerusalem - US envoy George Mitchell met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday to try find a solution to an impasse over settlement construction, but ended the discussions apparently unable to announce a breakthrough which would lead to the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.

The envoy left Jerusalem for Jordan, where he was slated to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel Radio reported.

Abbas has said he will not return to the negotiating table until Israel halts all construction in its West Bank settlements.

Netanyahu, however, has rejected this demand, saying that while Israel will build no new settlements, it will continue with construction inside existing ones, to allow for population expansion, so-called 'natural growth.'

Mitchell has met repeatedly with Israeli and Palestinian officials in an attempt to forge a compromise, but without success.

According to unnamed senior Israeli officials quoted by the radio, it is likely the settlement dispute will also be raised in meetings Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak will hold in Washington next week.

Although the administration of US Prfesident Barack Obama has also demanded a total construction halt in settlements, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Jerusalem Saturday that this demand was not a prerequisite for renewing peace talks.

Palestinian officials, however, rejected her comments and insisted that Israel halt all construction, including in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks were suspended late last year as Israel entered an election period. They have not been resumed since Netanyahu took office at the end of March.