International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, August 25, 2010

US officials have refused to order Israel to extend the Sep. 26 deadline for a self-imposed moratorium on building in West Bank Jewish settlements, even as Palestinian Authority officials continue to warn that if Israel does not continue to freeze building it will be the end of their participation in recently announced direct talks between the two sides.

But a letter from the YESHA settlers council to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday included a warning against extending the freeze.

"Avoiding authorizing the tenders already on September 26 is like continuing the freeze, with all that implies diplomatically, publicly and politically," the letter read. "That is judgment day."

"We are very mindful of the Palestinian position and once we’re now into direct negotiations, we expect that both parties will do everything within their power to create an environment for those negotiations to continue constructively," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said on Monday, although the Obama Administration has strongly hinted that it would appreciate Israeli flexibility for the sake of the talks.

When the discussions begin, the two sides will have to decide on an agenda. The PA has said repeatedly it wants to discuss the future of settlements first but Israel would rather start with a discussion of security issues.

"The process is not important," an American official said on Tuesday. "What are important are the results."

The US is also prepared to step in during the negotiations to breach any impasses and offer ideas, but the agreement must eventually be reached by the parties themselves and the desired result is a permanent, comprehensive agreement, not a temporary one.

Elsewhere, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel Radio on Wednesday that he doubts there will be an agreement within a year, as is widely hoped, while opposition leader Tzipi Livni urged Israelis to support the talks as they are "not just a favor done for the Palestinians or the US, but in our [Israel's] interests."

Finally, Khaled Mashaal, the exiled leader of the Hamas terror militia which rules the Gaza Strip and is in rivalry with the PA for leadership of the Palestinian people, proclaimed on Tuesday that the upcoming talks will have no effect on the situation because the PA has no right to enter into negotiations with Israel under the current circumstances.

"These negotiations are taking place by force of coercion and with an American summons," Mashaal told reporters in Damascus, adding that they are "illegitimate and do not commit our people to anything."

Addressing PA officials, Mashaal said: "Wake up. Do not allow for these adventures and sins to take place under your name."

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