Jerusalem ? A U.S.-backed plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict won’t be ready by its Dec. 20 target date and may be delayed until after the Israeli elections a month later, a Palestinian official said Friday.

Separately, another influential Palestinian joined Friday in criticizing the Palestinian uprising that has left 1,954 Palestinians and 683 Israelis dead in 26 months of fighting.

Postponing the so-called “road map” to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would mean a further delay in reaching a truce in the uprising, which has come under increasing criticism by Palestinian officials and residents. The plan likely won’t be released until after the Jan. 28 elections.

The United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations have jointly been trying to finalize a plan for a negotiated settlement.

The plan, which was to be presented Dec. 20, calls for a three-phase, three-year program that would result in a Palestinian state living in peace beside Israel.

But Palestinian Planning Minister Nabil Shaath, after a meeting with U.S. officials in Washington, said the Americans told him release of the plan would likely be delayed.

“They prefer to wait until after the Israeli elections, where there’ll be an Israeli government ready to work with this plan,” Shaath said.

Israeli officials have said talks should be put on hold until after the vote, which polls show is likely to result in a victory by the right-of-center Likud Party led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The delayed release of the plan comes amid signs that many Palestinians are growing increasingly weary of the uprising, or intefadeh.

A poll published Thursday found that a majority of Palestinians want their security forces to crack down on militants attacking Israel ” a shift that indicates Palestinians are souring on the uprising.