called Quartet which aims to mediate the battered year-old "road map" for Middle East peace. But while the Palestinians have accused the United States of killing the peace process by allowing the growth of Israeli settlements in occupied territory, relations between the EU and Israel are tense. Israel said at the end of July there was little chance of EU involvement in the peace process unless the Europeans changed their attitude. Already shaky relations worsened when the bloc voted for a Palestinian-sponsored General Assembly resolution demanding Israel pull down its West Bank barrier. Palestinians have long been keen on a European role in peacemaking, seeing them as more sympathetic to their cause than Washington. --SP 2214 Local Time 1914 GMT
