The United States is abandoning efforts to persuade Israel to renew a freeze on settlement-building as part of efforts to revive Middle East peace talks.

Washington had been negotiating with Israel to try to meet Palestinian conditions for restarting direct talks.

The Palestinians suspended talks in September after a 10-month freeze on Israeli building in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, expired.

The US says it will continue to explore ways to bring the two sides together.

A senior US official told the BBC that attempts to get Israel to renew a partial freeze on settlement construction in occupied territory had failed.

But he said this did not meant the end of Washington's efforts to revive the peace talks.

Last month, the Obama administration offered Israel a sizeable package of incentives, including jet fighters and security guarantees, in return for an extension of the previous moratorium.

The Palestinians have said they will not return to the negotiating table while building continued.

A second official said the administration had determined that the moratorium extension was not the best basis to resume talks.

It is unclear how the US is planning to proceed, says the BBC's Kim Ghattas at the state department.

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators will be in Washington next week and Hillary Clinton will make a speech about the Middle East on Friday.

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