The Middle East diplomatic Quartet on Friday urged Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace talks and to act in compliance with their obligations under the roadmap peace plan. The Quartet, meeting in Moscow, issued a statement welcoming the launch of indirect “proximity talks,” which it said “are an important step toward the resumption, without pre-conditions, of direct, bilateral negotiations that resolve all final-status issues.” The statement reiterated that both parties must act on the basis of international law and adhere to the roadmap peace plan. The Quartet-comprised by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and Russia-also urged Israel to freeze all settlement activity and “to refrain from demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem (Al-Quds),” condemning last week's decision by Israel to build 1,600 homes in the disputed city. “The Quartet underscores that the status of Jerusalem is a permanent-status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties and condemns the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem,” the statement said.
