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Peace officials offer to step down after talks stall

Resignation proposed after Israel announces settlement plan

Palestinian peace negotiators have offered to resign over the lack of progress in US-brokered talks, President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday.

But Mr Abbas told Egyptian television that the talks were not necessarily dead since "either we can convince the negotiators to return or we form a new delegation."

He said he would need about a week to resume the talks.

Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat did not mention his resignation in an earlier broadcast but said that the sessions with Israel were completely frozen.

"In reality, the negotiations stopped last week in light of the recent settlement announcements," he said.

Mr Erekat said that, through its settlements, Israel was trying to destroy US Secretary of State John Kerry's diplomatic efforts to achieve a peace deal.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dramatically U-turned late on Tuesday and publicly cancelled plans to build 20,000 new settler homes in the West Bank.

According to the prime minister's office, Mr Netanyahu had told Housing Minister Uri Ariel that the plan was "meaningless" legally "and an action that created an unnecessary confrontation with the international community at a time when we are making an effort to persuade elements in the international community to reach a better deal with Iran."

The order came after Mr Abbas warned that going ahead with the illegal settlements would kill off the peace talks.

Washington had expressed "deep concern" at the settlement announcement, which threatened to add sharply to the 550,000 Israeli settlers already living in the occupied West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem.

But Israeli Energy Minister Silvan Shalom still insisted yesterday that Israel would continue with settlement building, but would be more careful about announcing it.

"The question is always about the timing. Is the timing right? Is the timing wrong?" Mr Shalom cynically told Israel Radio.

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