On Thursday, the Times of Israel quoted Mattis as saying last week, “I paid a military security price every day as the commander of CentCom (Central Command) because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel.”

The retired US commander made the comments at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado in response to a question regarding the talks between the Tel Aviv regime and the Palestinian Authority.

Mattis further slammed the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, stating that the situation in Israel is “unsustainable.”

The chances for an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians “are starting to ebb” due to the settlement activities, Mattis said.

On Thursday, Israeli Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom said the talks may begin in Washington next week.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has rejected a proposal by US Secretary of State John Kerry for the resumption of the talks, saying it “considers the Palestinian Authority’s return to negotiations with the occupation to be at odds with the national consensus.”

The Palestinian-Israeli talks were halted in September 2010 over disagreements on Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Authority had previously demanded that Israel cease all settlement activities before talks can be resumed. The Tel Aviv regime has refused to do so. 

BA/BA