His comments come hours after the US said that it had failed to get Israel to renew its settlement curbs.

Speaking on a visit to Athens, the Palestinian Authority president said there was "no doubt" that the peace talks were in crisis.

Mr Abbas suspended talks in September after a 10-month halt on Israeli building in the occupied West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, expired.

The US has vowed to find other ways to bring the two sides together.

The peace talks resumed in Washington in September after a break of almost two years, but broke down just weeks later over the settlement issue.

Settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has released a statement saying Israel was still fully committed to direct peace talks with the Palestinians without pre-conditions, and that all issues, including the status of East Jerusalem, were on the table.