Late last week Secretary of State John Kerry announced that he had achieved a “basis” for restarting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. On Sunday a top Palestinian official clarified that, actually, not so much:

Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization and one of the Palestinians’ designated spokesmen on the U.S. initiative, said Sunday that the leadership hasn’t made a final decision. He told Voice of Palestine radio that direct talks would be “conditioned on many clarifications about core issues,” and that several “sticking points” remain unresolved.

Palestinian officials have demanded a series of conditions that have consistently stymied talks. The Palestinian stance has generated tension at Foggy Bottom, with Kerry blaming Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for stalled negotiations.

As of last Thursday Abbas was still struggling to secure support for Kerry’s initiative among his Fatah faction. His Fatah faction’s rival Hamas condemned him for “succumbing to American extortion.”

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