Palestinians discouraged by U.S.-Israel talks outcome

JERUSALEM: Palestinian officials on Monday said they were disappointed that a round of U.S.-Israeli talks in Washington produced no clear progress on the removal of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank or other issues they feel are crucial to rejuvenating stalled peace negotiations. Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the conditions seemed to undermine any negotiations before they even started."There is a difference between being a tough negotiator and a non-negotiator. What I heard today was a non-negotiator," said Erekat, who added that Palestinians had been looking for Monday's meeting to produce some sense of progress -- whether a statement from Netanyahu about the restriction of settlements or on the establishment of a Palestinian state. Obama restated U.S. support for establishment of a Palestinian state -- something Netanyahu has opposed in the past, arguing that while the Palestinians should govern themselves, they should not have full state powers, such as the ability to raise an army, control airspace or make treaties. Erekat said he was also cheered when Obama publicly noted what he regards as Israeli obligations to stop West Bank settlements and improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli embargo for more than three years. But Netanyahu addressed neither of those issues directly in his comments, and his advisers afterward focused on what they regard as a key strategic success -- agreement between Netanyahu and Obama on opposing Iran's development of nuclear weapons technology.