A senior US official told the BBC that attempts to get Israel to renew a partial freeze on settlement construction in occupied territory had failed. He said this did not mean the end of Washington's efforts to revive Middle East peace talks. There are about 2.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. The Palestinians say settlement-building and peace talks are incompatible. Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak said talks with the Americans had been postponed because Washington was distracted by the fallout from the release of secret documents by the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks and the crisis over North Korea.

Pray: for a way forward that enables Israelis and Palestinians to trust and live with each other under Gods covering of peace. (Ps.133)

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11943599