U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians are "absolutely necessary" to achieve Middle East peace.

Clinton made the remarks as she addressed a pro-Palestinian group, the American Task force on Palestine, in Washington.

"Negotiations are not easy, but they are absolutely necessary. It is always easier to defer decisions than it is to make them," Clinton said.

She admitted that there is no "magic formula" to break the current impasse of the talks regarding the settlement issue.

"But we are working every day to create the conditions for negotiations to continue and succeed," she said.

The Israelis and Palestinians resumed their direct talks on Sept. 2 in Washington, with the brokering of the United States. But the talks have been stalled as Israel has failed to extend the ten-month moratorium on West Bank settlement activities which expired on Sept. 26.

On Oct. 8, the Arab League following up committee gave the United States one-month time to pressure Israel "to freeze settlement and resume the direct peace talks."