The Arab League meeting with Palestinian Authority Mahmud Abbas to consult on the peace talks, originally scheduled to take place on Monday, was postponed until October 6 in order to give the United States another opportunity to save the peace talks, AFP reported Thursday.
Arab League spokesman Ahmed Eissa told the AFP that the meeting was postponed in order to "allow Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to attend the meeting, in light of the latest developments and efforts by the United States for peace talks," Eissa said.
RELATED:PA waiting for Arab League, PLO, Fatah to discuss talksArab League chief: No peace talks if Israel starts buildingAnother Arab diplomat, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, suggested the meeting was delayed because some ministers had asked for further discussions to forge a unified Arab position.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said in a statement Wednesday that
"the moment of truth" had arrived for those seeking to resolve the
conflict and that "the consequences of failure this time are too
catastrophic to imagine."
He called on Israel to freeze its settlements, which he said, "aim to
change facts on the ground and thus jeopardize the peace process and
render the negotiations meaningless."
Talks between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have
been deadlocked over Israeli settlement construction. Earlier this week,
Netanyahu refused to extend a 10-month-old moratorium on new housing
construction in West Bank settlements. Abbas warned he would quit the
U.S.-sponsored peace talks unless the moratorium is extended.
Abbas' final decision is expected Wednesday, when Arab League foreign
ministers are to meet in Cairo. Underscoring the sense of urgency,
Europe's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, rushed to the region for talks
with Abbas and Netanyahu on Thursday and Friday.