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TechnoratiStatus quo can't last, says US as Israel rests firm on settlements
As Israel reiterated its refusal to halt settlements in East Jerusalem ahead of a visit by US envoy George Mitchell, the Unites States has warned the status quo in the Middle East cannot last.
Mitchell has arrived in Israel for talks to press the peace process. He decided on the trip Wednesday after contacts with the Israelis and Palestinians indicated the trip could be "fruitful," the State Department said.
Mitchell is to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah on efforts to relaunch peace talks, and will later meet with Netanyahu.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke by telephone on Thursday with Abbas to lay the groundwork for Mitchell's visit.
Netanyahu told Israeli television that “there will be no freeze on construction in Jerusalem … Everyone knows it."
"There is perfect agreement on the fact that there cannot be preconditions to negotiations," he added in a reference to Palestinian demands that settlement construction be halted before direct peace talks can resume.
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