PLO: Don't let Israeli extremists derail peace

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- "The USA, the Quartet and the Arab world must exert their utmost efforts to ensure a complete cessation of settlement construction," a statement from the PLO's Executive Committee said Thursday night.

The statement asked that parties invested in the talks work to "forbid extremist forces in Israel from derailing peace talks," and reiterated the support of the body for the negotiations.

Palestinian negotiators have repeated their stance on settlements, with President Mahmoud Abbas saying in a series of interviews with Gulf and locally-based newspapers, that if construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinain lands continue, he would quit talks.

“We will work to seriously be engaged with these negotiations. We refuse any extremist Israeli government positions especially the continuation of settlement construction, and any disproportionate focus on security," the statement said.

As an apparent message to the United States, the statement also noted that the political process was being continued in order to 'insure its guarantees.'

On Tuesday, however, State Department spokesman Phillip Crowley gave little indication that the US would step in and enforce a settlement construction freeze, saying only that "we are mindful of statements, we’re mindful of the calendar. That’s why we felt it was important to meet next week at a high level."
Officials have repeated without specifications, that US officials have made a series of guarantees to Palestinain leaders. A report [2] in the Israeli press on Wednesday said a back-door agreement had been reached over settlement construction, with assurances made to Palestinian negotiators that no additional units would be built, but that no official announcement on the issue would be made.

The PLO's top body endorsed what it called the decision of Middle East Quartet and the administration of Barack Obama's decision to start talks with discussions of the core issues of security, borders, Jerusalem, water, and refugees. US officials say they have played little role in determining the agenda of talks, refusing to set out a framework and insisting that parties sort out priorities at the negotiations table.

Negotiators and US mediators joined in condemning two shooting attacks that targeted Israeli settlers in the West Bank on 31 August and 1 September. The attacks left four dead and two injured, both were claimed by groups affiliated with Hamas, and investigations into the incidents continue.