The Palestinian negotiating team of Saeb Erekat and Mohammed Shtayyeh were said to have hit out at Israeli statements tying recent announcements of thousands of new settlers homes to the release of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli officials have insisted that the Palestinians knew that the phased release of 104 long-term inmates, agreed as a condition of re-starting the talks in August, would be accompanied by announcements of new settlement building. The Palestinians have denied that any such understanding was reached.