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Palestinian leader puts Israel talks decision on hold

Reading: Palestinian leader puts Israel talks decision on hold

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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is to talk to Arab governments next week before deciding whether to continue talks with Israel.

His spokesman said there would be no official response yet to Israel’s lifting of the ban on building in West Bank settlements.

Limited construction work began on Monday, with bulldozers clearing land on a handful of settlements.

The BBC’s Wyre Davies in Jerusalem says peace negotiations are in the balance.

As the 10-month moratorium came to an end at midnight local time on Sunday (2200 GMT), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Palestinians to continue peace talks, which recently resumed after a 20-month pause and have the strong backing of US President Barack Obama.

“Israel is ready to pursue continuous contacts in the coming days to find a way to continue peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” he said in a statement.

Continue Reading at BBC News.

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