Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has again rejected US calls to halt construction in occupied East Jerusalem.

以色列总理内塔尼亚胡再次拒绝了美国的关于停止在已占领的东耶路撒冷地区建设居民点的呼吁。

Mr Netanyahu said "there will be no freeze in Jerusalem"

He was speaking as US Middle East envoy¹ George Mitchell arrived in the region to try to revive（苏醒，复活） Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

It is his first visit since a row（吵闹，划船） broke out between Israel and the US over home construction plans in East Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the UN said it could not educate thousands of Palestinian pupils because of Israel's blockade（阻塞，封锁） of Gaza.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, John Ging, said the blockade made it impossible to build new schools to accommodate the growing numbers of students.

Israel imposed the siege（围攻，包围） after the militant² Hamas movement seized control over the Gaza Strip in 2007.

'Status quo unsustainable'

"I am saying one thing: there will be no freeze in Jerusalem," Mr Netanyahu said on Israel's Channel 2 TV.

"There should be no preconditions（先决条件） to talks [with the Palestinians]," the Israeli premier³ added.

However, he added that he hoped to resolve the differences with Washington, without giving any further details.

Mr Mitchell is expected to begin a round of separate meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Friday.

The Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed US officials on Thursday as saying that Mr Netanyahu offered a series of measures to boost Palestinian confidence, such as easing the blockade on Gaza, releasing prisoners, freezing the building project in Ramat Shlomo for two years, and agreeing to discuss borders and the status of Jerusalem.

In Washington, state department spokesman Philip Crowley said: "We understand that the Israelis have a long-standing position."

But he added that the "status quo（现状） is not sustainable".

In March, during a visit by US Vice-President Joe Biden, it was revealed that the Israeli government was planning to build 1,600 apartments in the Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Ramat Shlomo.

Palestinians then walked away from the "proximity⁴ talks", or indirect negotiations⁵ with the Israelis, which Mr Mitchell had been attempting to arrange.

The row put a strain on（使处于紧张状态） relations between Israel and the US, and Mr Mitchell's planned visit in March was postponed⁶.