Israel Offers a Temporary Settlement Freeze

Israeli senior officials yesterday said that Israel is open to a 3-6 month complete settlement freeze (including natural growth) in order to allow for Palestinian negotiations to take place. Officials asked they not be named, as the issue is so “explosive” within Israel that they do not wish to be associated with the idea yet.

Despite the officials’ claims, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who meets with US envoy George Mitchell this week, has shied away from the subject, saying “the matter mentioned in the headlines has not been finalized.”

This freeze, however, would allow for existing settlement construction to continue. Currently, over 2000 new buildings are under construction across the Palestinian West Bank.  While not meeting US calls for a complete freeze, a brief halt to new settlements is indicative of the Israeli desire to move on from the current tension between the two countries.

Settlements are illegal under International Law. Last month, President Obama and Secretary Clinton made vocal requests for Israel to completely end its creation of new settlements in the West Bank.

Samah Choudhury contributed to this post

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6 thoughts on “Israel Offers a Temporary Settlement Freeze

  1. Jimmy Carter, Noble Peace Prize winner, visited the Jewish West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion last month, on June 14th, 2009.

    Watch this youtube video of his visit.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5sJ4ppJ3uM

    Jimmy Carter, friend of the Palestinian people, says in this video :
    “This particular settlement area is one that I do not ever envison being abandoned or turned over to Palestinian territory.”

  2. Jimmy Carter, Noble Peace Prize winner, visited the Jewish West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion last month, on June 14th, 2009.

    Watch this youtube video of his visit.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5sJ4ppJ3uM

    Jimmy Carter, friend of the Palestinian people, says in this video :
    “This particular settlement area is one that I do not ever envison being abandoned or turned over to Palestinian territory.”

  3. Jimmy Carter, Noble Peace Prize winner, visited the Jewish West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion last month, on June 14th, 2009.

    Watch this youtube video of his visit.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5sJ4ppJ3uM

    Jimmy Carter, friend of the Palestinian people, says in this video :
    “This particular settlement area is one that I do not ever envison being abandoned or turned over to Palestinian territory.”

  4. Jimmy Carter, Noble Peace Prize winner, visited the Jewish West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion last month, on June 14th, 2009.

    Watch this youtube video of his visit.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5sJ4ppJ3uM

    Jimmy Carter, friend of the Palestinian people, says in this video :
    “This particular settlement area is one that I do not ever envison being abandoned or turned over to Palestinian territory.”

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