Biden: Palestinians Deserve 'Viable' State

During a joint press conference with Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he hoped U.S.-brokered peace negotiations would lead to the creation of a "viable and contiguous" Palestinian state, the Jerusalem Post reports.

"The United States pledges to play an active as well as a sustainable role in these talks," he said, one day after condemning Israel's decision to build 1,600 new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem.

"It's incumbent on both parties to build an atmosphere of support for negotiations, and not to complicate them," he said.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Palestinian government called the new housing announcement "a dangerous decision that will torpedo the negotiations and sentence the American efforts to complete failure."

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