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| Clinton urges new Mid-East talks | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged the Israelis and Palestinians to restart talks "as soon as possible". | |
| She was speaking after arriving in Jerusalem to meet Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, in a new US drive to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. | |
| Earlier, Mrs Clinton met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for talks in Abu Dhabi. | |
| Palestinians say Israel must halt settlement building in the occupied territories before negotiations resume. | |
| At Saturday night's news conference with Mrs Clinton, Mr Netanyahu backed the idea of immediate talks, saying: "We think we should sit around that negotiating table right away." | |
| ANALYSIS By Jeremy Bowen, Middle East editor Making peace in the Middle East is a top foreign policy priority for President Obama, but in his first nine months in office he has had a crash course in the reasons why every attempt to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians has failed. | ANALYSIS By Jeremy Bowen, Middle East editor Making peace in the Middle East is a top foreign policy priority for President Obama, but in his first nine months in office he has had a crash course in the reasons why every attempt to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians has failed. |
| So far the Obama administration's Middle East peace initiative hasn't even managed to get the two sides around a table. More than that, attempts by President Abbas to co-operate with the Americans have damaged him at home. | So far the Obama administration's Middle East peace initiative hasn't even managed to get the two sides around a table. More than that, attempts by President Abbas to co-operate with the Americans have damaged him at home. |
| The rising tension has led to violence between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem. No-one expected it to be quick or easy for President Obama in the Middle East. But he needs diplomatic progress, because the absence of hope in the region tends to lead to bloodshed. | The rising tension has led to violence between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem. No-one expected it to be quick or easy for President Obama in the Middle East. But he needs diplomatic progress, because the absence of hope in the region tends to lead to bloodshed. |
| But chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said that during talks earlier in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Mr Abbas told Mrs Clinton that Palestinians would not agree to re-launch peace talks with Israel without a complete freeze of Jewish settlement activity on the occupied West Bank. | |
| The BBC's Paul Wood in Jerusalem says it is now a question of what pressure can be applied to the Israelis. | The BBC's Paul Wood in Jerusalem says it is now a question of what pressure can be applied to the Israelis. |
| But, he says, that has been the question all along and on the issue of settlements, quite simply the Obama administration blinked first. | But, he says, that has been the question all along and on the issue of settlements, quite simply the Obama administration blinked first. |
| The Palestinian refusal to acquiesce in this means the chances are slimmer than ever that these talks about talks can be turned into substantive negotiations, he adds. | The Palestinian refusal to acquiesce in this means the chances are slimmer than ever that these talks about talks can be turned into substantive negotiations, he adds. |
| 'High priority' | 'High priority' |
| Mrs Clinton's Middle East trip comes 10 days after she reported back to President Barack Obama on the peace process, suggesting it was too early to launch fully-fledged talks. | Mrs Clinton's Middle East trip comes 10 days after she reported back to President Barack Obama on the peace process, suggesting it was too early to launch fully-fledged talks. |
| BBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas, who is travelling with Mrs Clinton, says these talks appear designed mostly to make sure things at least don't slide backwards. | BBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas, who is travelling with Mrs Clinton, says these talks appear designed mostly to make sure things at least don't slide backwards. |
| Visits by the Middle East special envoy George Mitchell have so far failed to produce any tangible action by either side. | Visits by the Middle East special envoy George Mitchell have so far failed to produce any tangible action by either side. |
| Speaking to the BBC, Mrs Clinton said a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians was key. | Speaking to the BBC, Mrs Clinton said a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians was key. |
| "This is a high priority for not only our administration but for much of the world. It is one of the most common questions that I am asked," Mrs Clinton said. | "This is a high priority for not only our administration but for much of the world. It is one of the most common questions that I am asked," Mrs Clinton said. |
| "The fact that I'm in the region... reinforces the seriousness with which we are approaching our desire to get the parties to begin a serious negotiation that can lead to a two-state solution." | "The fact that I'm in the region... reinforces the seriousness with which we are approaching our desire to get the parties to begin a serious negotiation that can lead to a two-state solution." |