Settlement freeze
Settlement construction is to halt in the West Bank
Benjamin Netanyahu last night announced a sudden 10-month freeze on new settlement construction in the West Bank.
In a televised speech from his office in Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister described the move, designed to kick-start peace negotiations with the Palestinians after an eight-month lull, as "a painful decision to renew the path to peace".
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Netanyahu said: "This is not an easy decision. It is a painful one, but it is taken with the aim of renewing negotiations with the Palestinians in order to renew the path to peace."
Shas Party members of the security cabinet boycotted Wednesday's meeting after Interior Minister Eli Yishai insisted that his party, "will never agree to a freeze on settlement construction, even for one day".
Although the Israeli leader confirmed that no permits would be issued for new building in settlements, he will still allow current building work to continue as planned, as well as the construction of public buildings such as synagogues and schools. He also stressed that the moratorium did not include any restriction on construction inside Jerusalem.
The move was welcomed by American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She said: "The announcement by the government of Israel helps move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through good-faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognised borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements."
Netanyahu previously said that he and his government "do not put any restrictions on our sovereign capital," which angered Palestinian leaders who appeared unlikely to give up on their demand for a total settlement freeze before returning to the negotiating table.
Netanyahu added: "We will continue to build synagogues, schools, kindergartens and public buildings essential for normal life," in what was essentially a repeat of statements made earlier this year where Israel said it was committed to so-called natural growth.
Reacting to the announcement Palestinian spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi said: "You can't say some settlements are illegal and some aren't illegal. This is an illegal act."
US Middle East envoy George Mitchell commented that the announcement was not what the Obama administration had hoped for. He said: "It falls 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. Our goal remains the launch of negotiations as soon as possible. We are determined to stay the course."
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