The Palestinians are not ready to resume dialogue with Israel as sought by the Mideast diplomatic Quartet, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday.

"Our own assessment is that the conditions are not ripe at this juncture for a meaningful resumption of talks," he said at the annual gala for the American Task Force on Palestine, a pro-Palestinian lobby.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the Palestinians' refusal to negotiate directly with Israel at the next meeting of envoys from the Quartet -- the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia -- set for October 26 in Jerusalem.

For Fayyad, who underscored his "commitment" to peace with Israel, "it's not for lack of talks" that the process has failed.

"It's precisely because those talks were attempted so many times before, but not on the basis of terms of reference that were consistent with what is required to bring this conflict to an end in a manner that is remotely related to what international law requires," he insisted.