RAMALLAH, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has come under international pressure to change his mind and meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an official said Sunday.

    Asked about that, Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said that "there are no politics without pressure."

    President Abbas refuses to meet Netanyahu, who took office last April, unless he stops Jewish settlement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and endorses the two-state solution.

    Erekat reiterated that the halting of settlement activities "is an Israeli obligation that must be carried out," explaining that this demand is not a Palestinian precondition on the resumption of the talks that have been stalled when Israel launched Gaza military operation in December 2008.

    Egyptian and Jordanian officials visited the United States recently to discuss Washington's efforts to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

    Following his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit ruled out hosting a meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu in the near future.

Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts