Ashton meets Palestinian leaders in a bid to revive peace talks EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton continued her tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories on Thursday in an attempt to revive stalled peace talks. Following her meetings on Wednesday with Israeli leaders, Ashton visited a West Bank village where residents say their olive trees have been attacked by Jewish settlers. More than a thousand trees were vandalised in the first weeks of the harvest earlier this month. Ashton said the EU would continue to work hard for a two state solution. "It's not just about economic support, as important as that is, it is also by trying to help the people of this area to be able to move forward to have a life for themselves and their children and I mean this for the Palestinian people and for the Israeli people," Ashton told reporters. Her visit comes after two days of deadly violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza which have killed 10 people. Direct peace talks have been on hold for more than two years following a dispute over settlements. The latest efforts to bring the two sides closer together have so far been unsuccessful. More about: Catherine Ashton, Diplomatic mission, EU Foreign Affairs Chief, West Bank