WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Sunday it is trying to ensure Israeli-Palestinian direct talks launched this month continue despite Israel's decision to allow a partial moratorium on settlement construction to expire.
"We keep pushing for the talks to continue," said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley in a brief statement, adding that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu twice on Sunday.
Netanyahu did not extend the limited construction freeze in the occupied West Bank but urged Israeli settlers to show restraint, a plea that appeared aimed at persuading Palestinians not to abandon peace talks.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to quit the direct peace negotiations, launched in Washington on September 2, unless the moratorium was extended.
In addition to speaking to Netanyahu twice, Crowley said Clinton spoke once to Tony Blair, an envoy of the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators comprised of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States. He declined to provide any further details on the conversations.
(Editing by Philip Barbara)
