Clinton-Netanyahu meeting produces no breakthrough

NEW YORK – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held lengthy talks here Thursday but failed to break an impasse that has stalled Middle East peace negotiations.

After multiple meetings over seven hours, some one-on-one and others with aides, Clinton and Netanyahu said in a joint statement that they had a “a friendly and productive exchange of views on both sides” and “agreed on the importance of continuing direct negotiations to achieve our goals.”

But there was no sign that the talks, which have been on hold since mid-September in a dispute over Israeli settlement building, might resume soon.

Earlier, as the meeting began, Netanyahu said Israel is “quite serious” about reaching a final peace deal with the Palestinians and hopes to broaden the effort to include other Arab countries.

The Israeli leader said he and Clinton had been consulting by phone “quite intensively” over the last few weeks but had not met face-to-face since an opening round of talks in Jerusalem in September.

The talks broke off shortly after that session, and the Palestinians have insisted they will not resume until Israel halts construction in Jewish settlements.

On Wednesday, Clinton criticized Israel’s proposal to build 1,300 apartments in east Jerusalem.