Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie has ruled out any meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon while the controversial wall along the Israel / West Bank border continues to be built.
"If the Israeli government says it will continue building the wall regardless of what happens then there is no need for any meeting or talks to take place," Qurie told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The Palestinians have called the barrier, which consists of razor-tipped fences and walls, a land-grab intended to unilaterally annex occupied West Bank land to the Jewish state.
Israel says it is determined to build it to keep out suicide bombers. It says the Palestinian Authority has failed to dismantle militant groups behind the killings of more than 450 Israelis in suicide bombings by Palestinians getting into Israel from the West Bank.
The international community has widely condemned the barrier, parts of which veer deep into the West Bank on land the Palestinians want for a future state.
Talks between Mr Sharon and Mr Qurie had been expected in the near future to help push forward the internationally-backed peace "road map" that stalled over an upsurge of violence in recent months.
Israel has said Mr Sharon will not make any concessions ahead of any meeting with Mr Qurie who became Palestinian Authority prime minister earlier this month.