The Washington Post reports that EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton says that a low-level dialogue between Israel and Palestine is possible and hopes that moves to get "real negotiations underway" continue.

"I don't think there's an impasse," said Ashton following talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the Jordanian capital, despite Abbas saying that informal talks had concluded with no breakthrough.

"President Abbas is thinking carefully about how to move forward," Ashton said, with the Palestinian leader set to consult with the Arab League in a planned meeting in Cairo next week.