Israel: Quartet peace talks calendar not sacred

The calendar for new Israeli-Palestinian talks proposed by the peacemaking Quartet, which foresees a deal before the end of 2012, "is not sacred" says Israel “What's important in the Quartet's position is that it doesn't condition the restart of negotiations on settlements on the borders," Israel's deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon told public radio, a day after the new talks proposal was announced.

"But the calendar for the application is not sacred," he added. The peacemaking Quartet, comprised of the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia, proposed a new timetable for talks in a statement shortly after the Palestinians submitted their bid for UN membership on Friday.

Ayalon said what came next would depend on whether the Palestinians accept "a restart of negotiations without preconditions and without the threat of unilateral actions," a reference to the UN membership move.

Officially, Israel has said it is studying the Quartet's new proposal, but Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, a member of the Likud party of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he doubted talks would restart.