U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday talks between Israel and the Palestinians were advancing in a constructive way. "I would say they're in a constructive channel and that has been very reassuring to us," Clinton told ABC News in an interview.
According to Clinton, Washington hoped Israel would extend the partial moratorium on construction in settlements in the occupied West Bank past the Sept. 30 expiration. "That certainly is our hope," she said. "We've also said we will support an agreement that is reached between the parties."
"We are working hard to make sure there remains a conducive atmosphere to constructive talks," she said, noting that it took Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a lot of political capital" to achieve the moratorium in the first place.
