(23 Apr 2010) SHOTLIST
Jerusalem
1. Wide of truck driving next to construction site in Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood in east Jerusalem
2. Pan of construction site
3. Pan from workers on roof to view of more houses
4. More of houses in different building stages
Jericho, West Bank
5. Wide of Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat standing among participants in a marathon for Jerusalem
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Palestinian chief negotiator:
"We have Mr Netanyahu saying, on the one hand, he will not negotiate Jerusalem, and at the same time he wants to continue the dictation and settlements in Jerusalem. So what''s left for the peace process? What is left? This is a formula for disaster, not a formula for peace. This is a recipe for confrontation and war, and not for peace."
7. Cutaway of marathon participants in street
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Palestinian chief negotiator:
"We believe that President Obama and senator Mitchell deserve to be given the chance. We should give the proximity talks the chance they deserve but at the same time it is evident, after Mr Netanyahu''s statements last night, that this Israeli government is determined to continue the course of settlements, dictation, confrontation and not peace and reconciliation."
9. Erekat seated with others
Jerusalem
10. Pan of lever working at construction site in the neighbourhood of Har Homa in east Jerusalem
11. Pan of housing units being built in Jewish neighbourhood
12. Various shots construction
STORYLINE
Building work in disputed east Jerusalem neighbourhoods continued on Friday, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected US calls to halt construction, clouding a new peace mission by Washington''s Middle East envoy.
In comments broadcast on Israel''s Channel 2 TV station on Thursday, Netanyahu said there would be no freeze in Jerusalem, and that there should be no preconditions to talks.
His comments came as US envoy George Mitchell arrived on Thursday for his first visit in six weeks.
Mitchell was scheduled to meet separately with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday.
Although Netanyahu was repeating his long-standing position, the timing of the statement threatened to undermine Mitchell''s latest efforts to restart peace talks.
Mitchell''s efforts had been on hold for a month due to disagreements over Israeli construction in east Jerusalem, the section of the holy city claimed by Israel and the Palestinians.
Nonetheless, Israeli government officials said on Friday they were optimistic that indirect negotiations between the sides would be announced during Mitchell''s visit, allowing Israelis and Palestinians to begin negotiating again for the first time since late 2008.
But Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the Netanyahu position on Jerusalem "a formula for disaster, not a formula for peace," and said the US and Mitchell deserved to be given the chance to achieve peace.
Nonetheless, he left the door open to resuming talks.
"We believe that president Obama and senator Mitchell deserve to be given the chance. We should give the proximity talks the chance they deserve."
It was far from certain whether Mitchell would succeed in trying to prod the Israelis and Palestinians to launch negotiations for the first time in more than a year, though Israeli and Palestinian officials both indicated that they were ready to get past the deadlock.
The two sides were set to begin indirect peace talks in early March when Israel revealed plans to build 1,600 homes for Jews in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Ramat Shlomo.
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