What are the Options for Abbas After U.S. Failure (Palestinians‪)‬

The United States' decision earlier this month to abandon its efforts to persuade Israel to freeze the building of Jewish settlements has dealt a severe blow to Washington's attempts to revive direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. The decision is seen as a major foreign policy setback for U.S. President Barack Obama, who had appealed personally to Israel to extend its temporary construction freeze. Washington acknowledged on December 7 it had failed to secure a new Israeli settlement freeze, effectively signaling the end of direct peace talks and a return to the "proximity" talks that began in May. Israel and the Palestinians had launched the latest round of direct peace talks on September 2 at a White House ceremony. But less than a month later, negotiations broke down after Israel refused to extend a 10-month moratorium on West Bank settlement construction that ended at the end of September. The Palestinians have refused to negotiate while Israel continues to build on occupied Arab land they claim for a future state.