Sha'ath to accompany Abbas to Washington, says Israel has continuted settlement construction during 'freeze'

Ma'an -- Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath will accompany President Mahmoud Abbas to Washington, the official announced on Tuesday in Ramallah during a meeting on Israel's settlement policy.

Sha'ath is expected to be among a small handful of officials traveling to the American capital for a short series of peace talks, the first face-to-face meetings in more than 20 months.
The peace-talk delegate made the announcement in parallel with a news conference accusing Israel of only partially implementing its 10-month settlement freeze in the West Bank.

The partial and temporary freeze on private building was only implemented in "isolated settlements," Sha'ath said, allowing for construction to continue on settlement blocs. "These blocs are the most dangerous, because most of them in Jerusalem and aim to judaize the city," he said.

The construction freeze did not include Jerusalem, a fact which Palestinain leaders cited when they called the Israeli move insufficient to fulfill the condition of a halt to settlement construction ahead of peace talks. Construction of homes on the West Bank was also observed during the 10 months; at least three mobile homes were brought into the illegal settlement of Elon Moreh near Nablus on Tuesday.

Wile Sha'ath said an extension of the settlement freeze would not likely take effect until November, two months after it expires, he said "We can bear this but we cannot stand to continue negotiations under settlement construction."

Abbas is due to arrive in Washington to relaunch peace talks at a summit on 2 September. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Tuesday for the US ahead of talks.

Former chief Rabbi of Israel Ovadai Yosef's comments calling for the Palestinian people to "perish" are "a clear, horrible escalation," Sha'ath said, but added that they would not effect the start of negotiations.