Israel has rejected a new Palestinian offer to base peace talks on establishing a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. The proposal was based on a statement from the Middle East Quartet of the US, UN, the European Union and Russia earlier this year that also called for a freeze on West Bank settlements and on home demolitions in East Jerusalem. But Israel has refused to accept any preconditions that could scale back its control of the West Bank. Palestinian Authority adviser Mohammad Shtayyeh criticized Israel’s stance.

Mohammad Shtayyeh: “It is a pity that such a pressure is directed to the Palestinian Authority rather than it should be directed fully and totally against and towards the Israeli government. The Palestinian Authority president Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] has actually made everything possible for successful peace talks. Israel has not offered anything, neither a good environment for peace — i.e. to totally freeze all the Jewish settlements — and, on top of all, Israel has not accepted a clear terms of reference for the peace talks.”

Despite promises to engage more forcefully in peace efforts, the Obama administration reportedly rejected two Palestinian requests to take a key role in the talks. Palestinians say the US turned down their proposals to host a meeting between them and Israel on establishing a framework for talks and a separate proposal for President Obama to issue a statement outlining the US stance on what the framework should be, as President Bill Clinton did in late 2000.