-Israel has refused to receive five European Foreign Ministers this week because their planned visit was too close to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which begins on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas discussed tough issues at their meeting in Jerusalem, George Mitchell said.
US President Barack Obama called Friday on Israel to extend a freeze on settlements as he pledged a never-say-die approach to the new Middle East peace talks, calling the effort a risk worth taking.
PA officials reiterate that the Palestinian delegation will walk out if Israel resumes settlement construction, even if only in the main settlement blocs.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, under fire for not attending Israeli-Palestinian talks last week, on Friday said her decision in no way reflected a priority shift for the 27-nation bloc.
A senior official in Jerusalem said the official reason Israel declined the request was scheduling problems, but the real reason was a desire to avoid heavy European pressure on Israel to extend the settlement construction freeze beyond the end of this month.
EU Foreign Ministers meeting informally in Brussels on Friday and Saturday are to discuss among other topics the recent resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks and the EUs participation in the peace process.
