TEL AVIV -- Palestinian officials on Sunday reacted with frustration at U.S. efforts to restart deadlocked Mideast peace talks, accusing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of backtracking on earlier U.S. demands for a halt in settlement building in the West Bank.
"It's damaging for the administration to walk in a zigzag line on the settlements" issue, said Palestinian Authority Housing and Public Works Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
[Hillary Clinton] AFP/Getty Images
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chats with her Moroccan counterpart, Taib Fassi Fihri, upon her arrival at Marrakech airport early Sunday.
The Obama administration's earlier outspoken insistence on a complete halt appeared to heighten a sense of disappointment by Palestinian officials over Mrs. Clinton's comments.
On Saturday, Mrs. Clinton called for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks despite Israel's refusal to freeze settlement construction. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a freeze before resuming talks, and President Barack Obama had also insisted on a complete halt to construction by Israel earlier this year.
As U.S.-brokered efforts to restart talks stalled over the past few months, Washington appeared to soften its stance. At a news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mrs. Clinton called his offer of a partial halt unprecedented and appeared to push Mr. Abbas to accept such a compromise.
Palestinian officials rebuffed the suggestion, and her comments drew widespread criticism across the Arab world.
On Sunday, Jordan's King Abdullah embarked on an unexpected trip to Cairo to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
In a joint statement Sunday, the two called on Israel "to cease all unilateral actions that would undermine peace prospects," including West Bank settlement construction.
Mrs. Clinton is scheduled to meet with Arab leaders in Morocco this week.
Several Israeli officials, meanwhile, said on Sunday that Mrs. Clinton's remarks marked a victory for the government's position that settlement building should be discussed at the negotiating table and not before.
In comments to his cabinet, Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday urged the Palestinians to "come to their senses" and join peace talks, according to the Associated Press.
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