Clegg: Israel's policies undercut talks

LONDON, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg chided Israel for its settlement policies in the West Bank, saying they amounted to vandalism and undercut peace talks.

Clegg said Israel's actions were making the likelihood of a negotiated settlement nearly impossible to attain, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

"It is an act of deliberate vandalism to the basic premise on which negotiations have taken place for years and years and years," Clegg said during a joint appearance with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Monday in London.

While saying Israel had "no stronger supporter ... than myself," Clegg noted, "The continued existence of illegal settlements risks making facts on the ground such that a two-state solution becomes unviable. That, in turn, will do nothing to safeguard the security of Israel itself or of Israeli citizens. That is why I condemn the continued illegal settlement activity in the strongest possible terms."

His remarks drew a hostile response from Israel, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman accusing Clegg of "gratuitous bashing," the Telegraph said.

"It would be much better to contribute to peace by encouraging the fragile revival of Israeli-Palestinian talks," the ministry spokesman said.

Abbas said he appreciated the endorsement of the Palestinian position.

"That is exactly what we wanted to hear officially from the government of the United Kingdom," he said.