A United States official denied, Thursday, that Israel and the Palestinian Authority were on the verge of a deal to extend US-backed peace talks, according to Agence France Presse. The deal, which a senior Washington official reportedly said could be finalized within "a few days", would see a final batch of PA and Israeli Arab prisoners released in return for the United States freeing American-born Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.
The official, who asked not to be named, told AFP that the "reports are incorrect", without going into detail.