At the opening of a new round of Middle East peace talks, President Obama’s denounced the killing of four Jewish settlers in the West Bank by the armed wing of Hamas. Speaking at the White House with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beside him, Mr Obama said such attacks wouldn't stop peace efforts.

“There are going to be extremists and rejectionists who, rather than seeking peace, are gonna be seeking destruction. And the tragedy that we saw yesterday, where people were gunned down on the street by terrorists who are purposely trying to undermine these talks, is an example of what we’re up against. ”Ahead of the peace talks, the Israeli said they wouldn't extend their temporary building freeze on settlements, which is one of the Palestinians' key demands.