国际英语新闻：Palestinians refuse to resume talks after US halts settlement talks with Israel

Earlier this week, Brazil and Argentina announced that they recognize the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967. The Palestinians are expecting more countries to follow the Latin American countries, a diplomatic action that upsets Israel and the United States.

Meanwhile, Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian negotiator, told Xinhua that "although the U.S. still considers settlement illegal, we are sorry to say that the U.S. didn't say clearly that Israel is obstructing the peace by settlement."

"Unfortunately, the U.S. hasn't used all means of possible pressures on the Israeli government and obliges it to halt settlement construction in the Palestinian territories and its policy of Judaizing Jerusalem. Such Israeli behaviors would undermine the entire peace process," Shaath said.

Israeli Radio reported Thursday that the regional committee on planning and construction in Jerusalem announced that it intends to build up 130 units in the settlement of Gilo in east of Jerusalem during next week. The radio reported the municipality of Jerusalem has approved the plan.

"The Israeli plan of constructing more settlement units completely contradicts with the peace requirements," Shaath said, who referred to the Palestinian decision of suspending the peace negotiations with Israel one month after it was restarted in Washington on Sept. 2.

The Palestinians have threatened that they would go for other diplomatic options in case the peace process failed. One of the options is to apply to the UN Security Council and demand an international recognition of an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.

Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip since it seized control of the enclave by force in June 2007, said that the U.S. decision to abandon the talks with Israel over freezing settlement construction "is a slam on the face of the PNA and the negotiations."

"This shows that the U.S. administration is not fair," said Yousef Rezqah, an advisor to deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya. "Abbas should declare the failure of the talks and he should get back to resistance."