Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed more than a dozen international conventions on Tuesday citing anger at the Zionists’ delay of a prisoner release, in a move that jeopardized U.S. efforts to salvage fragile peace talks.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed more than a dozen international conventions on Tuesday citing anger at the Zionists' delay of a prisoner release, in a move that jeopardized U.S. efforts to salvage fragile peace talks.

His unexpected decision came just a day before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had been due to travel to Ramallah for talks aimed at finalizing a complex, three-way deal that would enable the talks to continue into 2015.

However, a U.S. official said that trip would not now go ahead.

The Zionist entity had promised in exchange to free more than 100 prisoners by the end of March, but failed to release the final batch, saying it wanted guarantees that the Palestinians would extend the negotiations beyond the April 29 deadline.

In his remarks to Palestinian leaders in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Abbas made clear he was not abandoning the negotiations.

"We are not doing this against America, but we still don't see other ways forward," he said, before signing a packet of papers Palestinian officials said included 15 conventions of international and U.N. groups.

Precise details of what he had signed were not given.

"We don't see any reason not to go and sign these agreements, with the knowledge that we are on the path to reaching an agreement through talks and through peaceful popular resistance," Abbas said.

A Palestinian official insisted that Abbas was not abandoning negotiations with Israel.

The issue of Palestinians jailed by the Zionist entity is an emotive one in Palestinian society, and freedom for the inmates helps boost Palestinian support for Abbas' peace seeking efforts.

For Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the prisoner release is a difficult step politically, with far-right coalition partners angry at setting free inmates.

During a January visit to the region, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry presented both sides with a proposed framework for an eventual deal that addresses the fundamental issues of the borders, security, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem).