Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Wednesday for what he described as a strategy to put off peace negotiations indefinitely, reported local daily Ha'aretz.

"It appears that the Palestinians have adopted a strategy of delaying negotiations with Israel, and this is in order to refrain from meeting the demands of Israel and the international community, which require compromises on the Palestinian side," Netanyahu was quoted as telling his ministers at a security cabinet meeting.

He warned that the PNA is "making a mistake that they must understand: There will not be a real solution without direct negotiations with Israel, within whose framework we will reach accords and agreements."

The accusation came as the PNA still refuses to resume peace talks with Israel two weeks after Netanyahu announced a 10-month moratorium on new construction projects in West Bank settlement in a good-will gesture aimed to revive the peace process that has stalled for over a year.

The Palestinians said the move is not genuine as it does not include the some 3,000 settlement housing units already approved or construction activities in East Jerusalem.

Israel captured the eastern part of the holy city in 1967 and later annexed it, but the Palestinians claim it as the capital of their future state.

Israel sees the whole Jerusalem as its indivisible capital and has so far ruled out any construction restraint in the Arab-dominated eastern part.

But the PNA has stressed that it will not return to the negotiating table until Israel completely freezes construction in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2009)