Israel’s FM rejects freeze extension

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has rejected international calls for extending Tel Aviv’s partial settlement freeze in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Israeli official told his British counterpart William Hague on Saturday that Israel would not extend the moratorium in the West Bank.

“Israel has made numerous gestures over the past year, and now it’s the Palestinians’ turn. Israel will gladly continue negotiating without preconditions, including those related to the moratorium,” Lieberman said.

His remarks came after the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States have all called on Israel to extend the freeze to help the continuation of talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Last November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 10-month freeze on illegal settlement expansion projects, which will expire late September.

Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has warned that he would leave the negotiations if Israel continues its settlement activities in the occupied territories.

The Israeli foreign minister claimed that the freeze was merely an “excuse” for the PA to thwart the talks.

“Those who look for excuses will find them even if the freeze is extended,” Lieberman went on to say.

The latest round of direct talks between Abbas and Netanyahu held in Washington, Egypt, and al-Quds (Jerusalem) ended with no progress earlier this week.