JERUSALEM — Israel and the Palestinians angrily accused each other Sunday of undermining US-led peace efforts in the region, but nonetheless signaled their readiness to find a way to revive the faltering talks.
US efforts to extend the talks past a late April deadline were thrown into disarray last week as Israel failed to carry out a planned prisoner release and the Palestinians responded by reviving a campaign for international recognition of the “state of Palestine.”
Still, both sides indicated they were prepared to continue with the negotiations. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were expected to meet Sunday with US mediator Martin Indyk in a bid to get the talks back on track.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel told his weekly Cabinet meeting that ‘‘we are ready to continue talks,’’ while condemning the Palestinian moves. He said a Palestinian state only would come about through negotiations.
“Unilateral steps on their part will be met with unilateral steps on our part,” Netanyahu said. “We are ready to continue the talks but not at any price.”
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, also expressed willingness to move forward. “We are trying to save it. I think there is a mutual interest by all parties,” he told Israeli Channel 2 TV.
After last week’s breakdown, Secretary of State John F. Kerry voiced impatience with all sides, saying the United States would reevaluate its role as a mediator.
Israel and the Palestinians returned to the negotiating table in July after a five-year impasse under heavy US pressure, pursuing talks that have yielded no tangible progress.
As part of Kerry’s ground rules for negotiations, the Palestinians promised to suspend efforts to sign up a “state of Palestine” — recognized as a nonmember observer by the United Nations in 2012 — in international agencies and conventions.