Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that in order to reach a peace deal with Israel, the Jewish state must halt settlement construction in Palestine for their future state, according to the Associated Press.
Abbas made his statement in front of the United Nations after three weeks of peace talks between Palestine and Israel taking place in Washington, according to the Associated Press.
Friday marked the end of a moratorium on settlement building for Israel, an event that caused the planning of a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Palestinian president Saturday. The meeting was set up by the U.S. State Department, in an attempt to prevent the stalling of negotiations, according to CNN.
Abbas stated that Palestine is still committed to reaching a peace deal with Israel, but the Jewish state must not continue to build after the lift of the 10-month building moratorium, according to the Associated Press.
"Israel must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements," Abbas said, according to the Associated Press.
