Israel PM blames Palestinians for hindering talks

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday blamed the Palestinians for hindering US-led peace efforts by "hardening their positions' and refusing to relaunch negotiations."We continue to see that the Palestinians are hardening their positions. They do not show any sign of moderation," Netanyahu said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting.Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Saturday ruled out holding even indirect talks with Israel unless it freezes settlement construction in the West Bank including mostly Arab east Jerusalem, annexed by Israel in 1967.

Secretary of State John Kerry worked Monday to corral Israeli and Palestinian leaders into a new and ambitious peace process that includes reviving parts of a long-dormant plan embraced by the Arab world a decade ago, officials said. The 2002 initiative that Kerry wants to revive parts of would have provided Israel recognition throughout the Arab world in exchange for a pullout from territory conquered in 1967.

Israel’s chief peace negotiator said Thursday it’s “good news” that the Arab peace initiative is negotiable and that Arab nations are supporting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians at a difficult time in the region. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni told reporters after meeting Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday afternoon that it’s in the interest of Israel, the Palestinians and the international community to resume peace talks. “We need to find a way to do so, and we’re working on it,” she said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior coalition partner says that reaching a final peace agreement with the Palestinians is unrealistic at the current time and the sides should instead pursue an interim arrangement. Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s assessment, delivered in a published interview Sunday just days before the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, throws a contentious idea into the mix as the U.S. searches for ways to restart peace talks.

President Barack Obama will bring an “urgent” agenda to Israel on his upcoming visit, focusing on regional developments including Iran and Syria as well as the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro said Wednesday.

The Palestinian president will invite Israeli politicians to the West Bank to try to make sure peacemaking is on the new government’s agenda, a senior official said Thursday, even as a top Israeli hard-liner proposed sidelining the polarizing issue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he hoped to restart the peace process with the Palestinians a day after Arab foreign ministers backed indirect talks."We welcome the start of talks, even if they are proximity talks," he said at a weekly cabinet meeting ahead of US Vice President Joe Biden and Middle East envoy George Mitchell's arrival in the region next week.

US Middle East envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel on Thursday for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, a US official said.The official said the meetings would take place on Friday.Mitchell is to hold talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah on efforts to relaunch peace talks with Israel, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said.Israeli government spokesmen would not immediately confirm whether Mitchell would also hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.