RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US President Barack Obama he would not run for re-election unless Israel dropped its refusal to freeze settlements, Palestinian officials said on Tuesday. Abu Mazen (Abbas) told him that he would not be a candidate in the presidential election (in January) unless Israel abided by the peace requirement, said one of the officials, who are briefed regularly by Abbas and spoke on condition of anonymity. The officials said Abbas made the comments to Obama to vent his anger at what Palestinians see as an easing of US pressure on Israel over construction of homes for settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. However, Tayyeb Abdel-Rahim, a senior aide to the Western-backed Palestinian leader, issued a denial and described the telephone conversation between Abbas and Obama as warm and candid. Abbas has threatened to step down on occasions in the past. But Palestinian officials who gave details of his exchange with Obama voiced doubt he would do so now. Abbas Fatah party, trounced by Hamas in a 2006 election, does not have another presidential candidate in polls planned for January 24. The Palestinian relationship with the US administration is very tense, one of the Palestinian officials said. They have retreated from their previous position. The US Consulate in Jerusalem and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat had no immediate comment. Now, Palestinian officials said, Washington is urging the Palestinians to resume peace talks, suspended since December, without a settlement freeze. You negotiated with (former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert while settlement activities continued. Whats the difference now? one of the officials quoted US Middle East envoy George Mitchell as having told Erekat. In a Voice of Palestine radio interview on Monday, Erekat said negotiations with Israel were unlikely to resume in the near future, an assessment echoed by Israeli officials. He blamed Israel for the impasse and urged Washington to do the same.