Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses recently released prisoners at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on December 31, 2013. Photo: AFP

(VOVworld)- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed a plan to build more than 1000 new settlement houses until US Secretary of State John Kerry concludes his visit to the Middle East.
The delay saves the Israeli government from an awkward situation during Kerry’s visit. Direct peace talks between Israel and Palestine officially resumed in July, 2013, thanks to Kerry’s shuttle diplomacy, after a 3-year hiatus.
The talks may collapse, however, because of Tel Aviv’s security demands, the issue of Israeli soldiers camping in the Jordan valley, and new Jewish settlement construction plans.