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November 14, 2013

Palestinian Negotiators Resign over Israeli Settlement Building 
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The Palestinian Authority says its delegation of peace negotiators has
resigned over continued Israeli settlement building in the occupied West
Bank. U.S.-brokered talks resumed this year after a three-year lull. But
Israel has continued to expand West Bank settlement homes, recently
announcing plans for some 24,000 new units. Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli
minister for strategic affairs, said his government has never hid its
intention to keep building on Palestinian land.

Yuval Steinitz: "Prime Minster Netanyahu made it very clear, that we are
going to release some prisoners but there is no freeze in the
settlements. It's not just theoretically, we will build in the
settlements during the negotiations. I don't suggest that this is kind
of agreement, but let me be very accurate, this was clearly understood
by all three sides, the Israelis the Palestinians the Americans."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now says he will re-evaluate
the new permits so as not to distract from efforts to block a nuclear
deal with Iran.