LONDON, May 02, 2008, (WAFA)-The Middle East peace Quartet urged Israel on Friday to cease all settlement activity in the West Bank (WB) to prevent the collapse of the peace process.

In a statement, the Quartet, which includes the U.S., Russia, the European Union and the United Nations called on Israel to stop any activity that undermines the confidence.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the Quartet 'expressed its deep concern' at Israel's continued settlement building on the (WB) and called for all outposts built since March 2001 to be dismantled.

He also expressed concern over worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice both said intense efforts were ongoing behind the scenes — and may bear fruit later this year.

Blair, a special envoy focusing on economic development in the (WB), said he has been trying to convince the Israeli government to take a number of steps to ease checkpoints for the Palestinians so economic activity can speed up.

'These past few months we've been working on a series of proposals to improve conditions on the (WB) in particular,' he said. 'We're talking about trying to build a better life for ordinary Palestinians. I hope in the next few weeks to get a response from Israel.'

US. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said there is still hope that an agreement on a Palestinian state will be reached by the end of 2008 despite the lack of obvious progress.

'This is difficult work with a long and painful history,' she said. 'But as a veteran of another long and painful conflict, in Northern Ireland, Tony (Blair) would probably say: There is a lot of skepticism right up until there is a breakthrough.'