The United States has called for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians as soon as possible without preconditions. US secretary of state Hillary Clinton made the call at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem last night. Saying that settlement issue should be considered as part of peace negotiations Ms Clinton stressed that it has never been a precondition. She added that Israel had made unprecedented concessions on settlement building.<br/><br/>Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Palestinian demands for a full Israeli settlement freeze were being used to prevent the renewal of peace talks.<br/><br/>Earlier Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Clinton's request to resume negotiations during their meeting in Abu Dhabi.T he spokesman for Abbas said the move reflected America's inability to persuade Israel to freeze settlement building.