RAMALLAH, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian leadership will on Thursday receive Israeli explanations through Washington over a U.S. offer to lead indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians, a Palestinian official said Tuesday.

The offer was approved earlier this month, but Israeli plans to expand a Jewish settlement in disputed East Jerusalem shed more doubts on the success of the proximity negotiations before they started.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "presented written answers to the U.S. administration which will convey them to us on Thursday," Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior Fatah official, told Voice of Palestine radio.

Moreover, the Palestinians "await clear information from the United States if it was serious to act as a fair and serious mediator," al-Ahmad said.

He also demanded President Barack Obama's administration to say its position regarding Israel's policy of settlements. "This position must be clearly visible like the sun."