Abbas aide: Israel snubs talks with building plans
Israel's plans for new building near east Jerusalem show it does not want to resume peace talks with the Palestinians a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday.
The United States has been trying to revive direct negotiations between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but weeks of diplomacy have yet to yield a breakthrough. "This Israeli signal shows that they are not willing and not ready for any deal in order to resume the negotiations," Nabil Abu Rdainah, Abbas's spokesman, told Reuters, condemning plans announced on Wednesday for 625 new homes in Pisgat Zeev. (Reuters)
