Israel Offers Temporary Settlement Freeze

(CBS/AP)  Updated at 2:55 p.m. EST

Israel agreed to a 10-month halt in construction in its West Bank settlements on Wednesday, drawing an immediate rejection from Palestinians because the freeze did not include east Jerusalem.

Shortly before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's televised statement, his Security Cabinet approved the freeze. Officials in his office said the vote of senior ministers and top security officials was 11-1 in favor.

Netanyahu said the "far-reaching and painful step" was designed to "encourage resumption of peace talks with our Palestinian neighbors."

The Obama administration welcomed Israel's decision, saying it was a step toward restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a statement saying the Israeli decision was a helpful move toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The administration's special envoy for Mideast peace, former Sen. George Mitchell, also welcomed the move but said it fell short of a full settlement freeze.

"But it is more than any Israeli government has done before and can help movement toward agreement between the parties," he said, adding that he planned to return to the Mideast "in the near future" to resume his efforts to win agreement from the Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table.

The Israeli announcement came amid signs of trouble in negotiations to arrange a prisoner swap with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Officials with Hamas said that Israel was objecting freeing some of the militants it wants in exchange for a captive Israeli soldier. Both sides have hinted of progress in recent days, raising speculation that a deal was imminent.

Palestinians already rejected the settlement freeze before the announcement because the it does not include construction in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state. Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed it soon after. The sector was entirely Palestinian at the time, but the construction of settlements has since attracted 180,000 Jewish residents.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a total halt to settlement construction before peace talks can resume. On Wednesday, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said there was nothing new in Netanyahu's announcement, pointing to the 3,000 new housing units under construction in the West Bank.

"This is not a moratorium. Unfortunately, we hoped he would commit to a real settlement freeze so we can resume negotiations and he had a choice between settlements and peace and he chose settlements."

The freeze announced by the Israeli leader applies only to new construction, meaning housing already underway will continue. Also, Netanyahu said, only new homes are included.

"We will not halt existing construction and we will continue to build synagogues, schools, kindergartens and public buildings essential for normal life" in the settlements, he said.

The U.S. stance appeared to be the key to the issue. Palestinians charge that the Obama administration has been vacillating over the settlement construction issue, first demanding a total halt, then appearing to side with Israel in agreeing to limited building.

Until Wednesday, Netanyahu resisted declaring a freeze beyond his pledge not to build new settlements. Netanyahu has said that peace talks must resume without preconditions, and issues like settlements should be discussed in negotiations.

Israel has been under heavy international pressure to halt its construction in settlements built on captured lands claimed by the Palestinians. Some 300,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, in addition to the 180,000 people living in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.

Netanyahu earlier floated the idea of suspending construction in existing settlements. Wednesday's offer was the first time he has given a firm timeline for how long he is willing to stop the building.

Palestinian presidential adviser Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the proposed freeze would be unacceptable if it didn't include east Jerusalem.

"Any Israeli offer that doesn't include Jerusalem will be rejected immediately," he said in a phone interview from Argentina, where he was traveling with President Abbas. "No Palestinian, no Arab can cross this line."

Netanyahu, a traditional ally of the settler movement, has argued that some construction should be permitted to allow for "natural growth" in their communities. His latest offer applies only to "new construction permits" — meaning that some 3,000 homes already approved for construction would not be affected.

More critically, it did not make any mention of east Jerusalem. The competing claims to the eastern part of the city — home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites — is the most intractable issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem its eternal capital, and Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will not agree to share control of the city.

[P0STING_AWAY]

Perhaps the Iranians can solve this problem for us. I am hoping so ....

[earth5661]

Postal,

Maybe a bit of cancer would do you some good . enjoy !

[P0STING_AWAY]

Maybe BOTH of you (Mr. YralwaysWONG / Mr. Dirt5661) could ask your boyfriends to STOP snorting
the Viagra and try something else instead .....

[formrusmcsgt]

Israel, once again, shows that it's not actually interested in peace....only in "appearing" to be interested in peace.

[earth5661]

Yes....and Hamas and Arafat really "appeared" to want peace also with suicide bombers .

That must be some weed your smoking private !

[kenhamlett]

A freeze is not nearly enough. It is time for a rollback. The settlements they have built so far should come down. That should be pretty obvious. So why are we still funding them? Cut the money flow and wait for them to offer an answer.

[woozybarnes]

Just another PR stunt by Israel. The minute they get their soldier back, this "proposal" will fade off into history just the way all of their proposals do. And of course the US will be right there to lick their hands.

[earth5661]

and your friends Arafat and Hamas are such honest brokers I can't seem to stop with glee !

You my friend, exemplify the word PR AND BS.

[slownewsday-05]

Israel will never keep their word.


.

[earth5661]

and the Arabs keep their word ????????

Thanks slow[poke

[wdh3007]

The palestinians are lucky Israel agreed to any freeze at all much less 10 months I think that was generous on their part. Besides Israel has more to deal with than these rogues who live in the dark ages and spew hate among those who are not like them.

[Therebutforthegrace]

It is, frankly, uneducated Americans like you who are the greatest obstacle for peace in the Middle East. Yes, there are Palestinian terrorists. There are also Israeli terrorists. What most Americans don't know (unlike their counterparts in the rest of the world -- see any foreign website) is that Israel was made independent by a Jewish terror campaign, which Winston Churchill himself said made Israel "a new set of gangsters worthy of Nazi Germany." Israel, at best, is a European colony partially occupying Arab land. EVERY U.S. Administration has acknowledged the illegality of the West Bank occupation, which has gone on for 40 years. Would you be angry if those "rogues" occupied your home for 40 years???? Learn and think.

[earth5661]

bUTT FOR grace,

Here is the complete quote from Churchill who was a friend of Zionism but was honest and critical of many things unlike yourself that has to misquote and deceive in order to debate.

In a statement to Parliament, Churchill said: "If our dreams for Zionism are to end in the smoke of assassins' pistols and our labours for its future to produce only a new set of gangsters worthy of Nazi Germany, many like myself will have to reconsider the position we have maintained so consistently and so long in the past. If there is to be any hope of a peaceful and successful future for Zionism, these wicked activities must cease, and those responsible for them must be destroyed root and branch." (See Gilbert, Winston S. Churchill vol. VII Road to Victory, 1050).

and the answer eventually was that the Irgun was defeated by JEWS (Hagannah and Ben Gurion).................look it up .


and the Jews fought alongside the Allies and Brits in WW2 (Jewish Brigade) while the Arabs sided with the Nazis.............look it up.

[ta56ilwind]

I guess Netanyahu can be arrogant, Israel is enjoying the greatest prosperity they?ve ever had in their history while we?ve risked sons and daughter for their security, - at the bottom the Iraq war was about Israel, and their security, - and we?re sitting over here broke. Tell me again what are we getting out it? The religious right should be crying ?Jesus? from their doorsteps instead they?ve given his ?bride? away to pimps and harlots.

[woozybarnes]

Well put!

[earth5661]

Iraq was about Israel ???????

Hmm...I didn't realize owned oil fields in Kuwait or Saudi Arabia ?

And woozy..( Well Put ! )................glad your on board for the Darwin Awards of 2009.

Do you dimwits rewrite history to get yourselves all excited or is that your default ?

Watch it ! Those Jews might just zap you with those ultra -zap- rays !

[ta56ilwind]

God's plan would be... the international community to declare East Jerusalem as sovereign, and form an international coalition based on faith's to run it!! That's what needs to be done. All development particularly recent, - after 1948 - in the area needs to be reassessed and if it doen't fit into "God's plan" it would be removed. This plan would encourage building and development for the purpose of enterprise. It's belongs to the world and it should be built so they can use it and enjoy it and this needs to be done before Israel swamps it with settlements, a note the Jews are not the only people who are having "growth" - families and such - that's arrogance. I'm truly apalled at the lack of backing ?God?s Plan? is getting from the religious right after all it?s their inheritance they witnessing squandered!! They act like they're going to get another "New Jerusalem" What they build is what they get!! That's it!!!

[OldGeezer43]

No matter what concessions the Israeli government makes the Palestinians
will reject it. Their goal is the elimination of the Jewish state. The
Arab Muslims believe that they may not win today, but given time they will
accomplish their goals which remain unchanged.