Israeli settlements resume construction, peace talks in crisis

The end of a tenth-month moratorium on Israeli construction in the West Bank could kill latest round of peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas not to walk away from Mideast peace talks, despite the resumption of Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. The land is claimed by both sides of the conflict, and Abbas has previously said he would pull out of talks if the moratorium was allowed to expire. Netanyahu faced intense domestic pressure not to extend the freeze because his coalition government is propped up by right-wing politicians who strongly support the settlements. Netanyahu was in conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Palestinian leaders in the early hours of Monday morning in a bid to save the talks. Abbas has now said he will wait a week before making a decision.