Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today angrily rejected a Palestinian bid to set a UN deadline for an end to Israel's occupation amid a flurry of talks led by US top diplomat John Kerry.
"We will not accept attempts to dictate to us unilateral moves on a limited timetable," the Israeli leader said before arriving in Italy.
Amid a renewed drive to push the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to the top of the global agenda, Kerry and Netanyahu met for nearly three hours in the US ambassador's sumptuous residence in Rome.
The Americans are seeking to avert an end-of-year showdown at the United Nations Security Council, which could place them in a diplomatic quandary.
The Palestinians have said they will submit an Arab-backed draft text setting a two-year deadline for an end to the decades-long Israeli occupation of their lands to the UN as early as Wednesday.
Simultaneously France is leading European efforts to cobble together a more nuanced resolution which could prove more acceptable to the US administration.
The French text would set a two-year timetable, but for concluding a peace treaty without mentioning the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Paris is also hoping to seize more of the initiative by not leaving the negotiations solely in the hands of the US.
"The absence of a peace process is fueling tensions on the ground, so it is imperative to make rapid progress on a UN resolution," said French foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal.
"It is vital to relaunch the peace talks as soon as possible and on a credible basis to offer some kind of concrete political horizon to the parties," he told AFP.
US officials have said Kerry is aiming to learn more about the European initiative during his hastily-arranged pre-Christmas trip.
Traditionally the US has used its power of veto at the UN Security Council to shoot down what it sees as moves against its close regional ally, Israel.
