Palestinian leader says he warned Israeli PM he’ll quit peace talks if settlement freeze ends

Abbas: Will quit peace talks if no building freeze

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he has warned Israel’s prime minister that he’ll quit peace talks unless Israel extends a curb on settlement construction.

Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched negotiations at a summit in Washington last week.

A 10-month freeze on settlement housing ends Sept. 26, and Netanyahu is under pressure from hardline allies to resume construction.

Netanyahu has not said what he will do. He told his Cabinet on Sunday that creative solutions are needed to make the talks succeed.

However, Abbas told PLO activists in Libya late Saturday that “if the freeze period is not extended by the end of the month, there will be no negotiations.” Abbas says he made that clear to Netanyahu.