Arab League ministers have given the US one month to rescue deadlocked¹ Middle East peace talks.

阿拉伯联盟的外长们给予美国一个月的时间来挽救陷入僵局的中东和平会谈。

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (C) got backing in Sirte from Arab League ministers

The ministers, meeting in Libya, endorsed²（支持，赞同） a decision by Palestinian leaders to stay away unless Israel restores（恢复） a ban on settlement building.

But the ministers said the US had to be given more time to break the impasse³（僵局，死路） .

The direct talks, the first in almost two years, began in September but later stalled when Israel refused to extend the building freeze.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attended the meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in the Libyan city of Sirte.

Afterwards Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin⁴ Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, who chaired the meeting, told reporters: "The committee endorses⁵ the decision of President Abbas to stop the talks."

He added: "It urges the American side to pursue its efforts to prepare adequate grounds and circumstances to resume the peace process and put this peace process back on the right track, including stopping settlements."

The committee of ministers is now due to meet again in a month's time to review the situation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to extend the 10-month ban on settlement building in the West Bank which expired（期满） on 26 September.

Many countries, including the US, had urged the Israelis to extend the freeze.