Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas has once again warned against Israel\\\'s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Abbas has threatened to take diplomatic and legal action against what he calls the cancer of Israeli settlement building. He said that Palestine will use its rights as a UN observer to stop Israel\\\'s expansionist agenda. The statements came ahead of a visit to the Middle East by US Secretary of State John Kerry, which begins on Wednesday. Kerry is making the trip in order to try to convince Israel and the Palestinian Authority to agree on a framework for the so-called peace talks. Tel Aviv\\\'s refusal to stop building settlements is one of the stumbling blocks for the US-brokered direct talks. The international community has long viewed Israeli settlements as illegal. Show Less >>