RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian officials sought U.S. and European help Monday to salvage foundering peacemaking after tough terms laid out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palestinian disappointment was echoed in capitals across the Arab world, where leaders accused Netanyahu of setting more obstacles in the talks.
Netanyahu on Sunday backed down on opposition to Palestinian statehood but insisted that Israel would retain sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. He also said he would not halt Jewish settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said said he contacted American and European mediators in the wake of the speech and urged them to hold Israel — and the Palestinians — to their obligations under previous talks. Israel is required to halt settlements, while Palestinians must rein in militants.
The Arab League’s undersecretary general for Palestinian affairs, Mohammed Sobeih, said Netanyahu’s speech might satisfy "extremists in Israel” but was "too far from what peace needs.”
by the associated press
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