Palestinians link claims, statehood

? The Palestinians are ready to end all historic claims against Israel once they establish their state in the lands Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast War, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday, addressing a long-standing Israeli demand.

In an interview with Israel TV, Abbas also said negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain his preferred choice, but that he will consider other options if talks break down over Israel’s continued settlement expansion.

Negotiations were relaunched by the Obama administration last month, but quickly faltered over Israel’s refusal to extend a curb on Jewish settlement construction. Abbas says there’s no point negotiating as long as settlements take over more land claimed by the Palestinians.