U.S. tries to get Israel, PA back on track

JERUSALEM, March 15 (UPI) -- A retired U.S. general is in Israel in an effort to move peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinian Authority.

Prime Minister Salam Fayad represented the Palestinians at the first round of talks led by William Fraser, Voice of America reported. Israel's representative was Amos Gilad, a lower level official in the Ministry of Defense.

U.S. officials said in a statement that the talks at a hotel in Jerusalem focused on failures to follow through on commitments laid out in the road map to peace.

Israel has continued to build settlements, defending the practice by saying that the new construction is limited to Jerusalem and to areas in the West Bank that will still be part of Israel. The United States has also been critical of the Palestinian Authority for failing to rein in extremists.