A Palestinian official on Monday accused Israel of following double-dealing policy on the world and the Palestinians by not issuing an official stance about the expiry of a moratorium on Jewish settlement in the West Bank, Xinhua reported.
Israel "is playing and trying to handle the crisis by deceiving, " said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s Executive Committee.
The 10-month moratorium expired Sunday night and the Palestinians did not meet a promise to withdraw from the newly- resumed peace talks if Israel would not extend the freeze.
Jewish settlers are laying cornerstones for new construction projects in the settlements "and the Israeli government is silent in order to combine peace and settlement," Abed Rabbo told Voice of Palestine Radio.
The construction would cause the negotiations, which the United States relaunched on September 2, "to stop," said Abed Rabbo, adding that the Israeli government "is to blame for the collapse of the entire peace process."
He also accused the U.S. administration of not working seriously to force Israel to extend the moratorium.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would consult with the Arab bodies to decide the next step to deal with the crisis. Israeli media reported that the Palestinians are seeking U.S. assurances about the borders of the future Palestinian state while Israel is seeking strategic security assurances. Enditem