Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a halt to high-level contacts with the Palestinians on non-security related issues, Reuters said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a halt to high-level contacts with the Palestinians on non-security related issues, Reuters said.

However, he exempted his chief peace negotiator from the ban, government officials said on Wednesday.

The move is part of Israeli officials’ response to what they describe as “Palestinians’ grave violation of their commitments in the framework of the peace talks.”