U.S. backs down on settlement freeze demand

Friday August 28, 2009 10:53 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The United States had reportedly backed down from its demands that the Israeli occupation government should freeze all of its illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank to restart the peace process. Israeli sources reported that the decision came as Israel remained determined on its stance rejecting settlement freeze.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated after a meeting with the German President, Horst Koehle, that the Palestinians must hold talks with Israel without any preconditions. 

His statements disregard the fact that Israeli, Jewish only settlements, are built illegally on Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank. 

U.S. State Department spokesperson, P. J. Crowley, stated that the United States wants to restart the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and that they are the ones who decide the outline of the peace process. 

Crowley added that the goal is to have formal negotiations started in order to advance towards a comprehensive peace deal in the Middle East. 

A Wednesday meeting in London between Netanyahu and U.S. Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, ended without any progress as Netanyahu insisted on what he called Israel’s right to build settlements.  

Israeli delegates would be heading to New York next week for further talks with Mitchell.   

Report: US dropped demands for East J'lem settlement freeze

Published yesterday (updated) 28/08/2009 09:27

Bethlehem – Ma’an –

The US has dropped a demand that the Israeli occupation government freeze settlement construction in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian capital, an Israeli newspaper reported on Thursday.

The newspaper Haaretz, citing Israeli officials and Western diplomats, reported that US envoy George Mitchell capitulated to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal during their meeting in London on Wednesday.

US President Barack Obama and his administration have been pressuring Israel to freeze settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories in order to create conditions for renewed peace negotiations. State Department officials have said in the past that their demand includes East Jerusalem.

Israeli occupied and then annexed East Jerusalem during the June 1967 war. Palestinians and the international community do not recognize the legitimacy of Israeli control in the eastern half of the city.

According to Haaretz, Netanyahu offered Mitchell a nine-month freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank excluding Jerusalem. In addition, Netanyahu wants to exclude 2,500 housing units on which construction has already started, and the construction of schools and other structures in the settlements.

In addition, the newspaper said, Israel is demanding that the Palestinian Authority and Arab states make their own concessions in exchange for a freeze. If these measures are not take, the report says, Israel wants guarantees that the US will not oppose an end to the freeze and further settlement construction.

At the end of the London meeting Netanyahu and Mitchell issued a brief Joint Statement saying that they “had a very productive meeting today where the full range of issues was discussed.”

“They agreed on the importance of restarting meaningful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians and working toward a comprehensive peace, and that all sides need to take concrete steps toward peace,” the statement continues.

“The Prime Minister and the Senator [Mitchell] made good progress today, and an Israeli delegation will meet Senator Mitchell next week in the United States to continue the conversation,” the statement concluded.

Two of Netanyahu’s aides are due to continue negotiations with Mitchell in Washington next week. Mitchell is also reportedly scheduled to travel to Israel in the second week of September in hopes of finalizing a deal on settlements.

Egypt: "Settlement freeze must include Jerusalem"‌

Friday August 28, 2009 23:03 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit, stated Friday that an official Israeli declaration of a complete halt of the illegal Israeli settlement construction on Palestinian lands, including in Jerusalem, must be made in order to resume the stalled peace process.

During a press conference in Stockholm, Abu Al-Gheit said that Jerusalem in an Arab occupied city, and settlement construction in it should be stopped along with a complete halt of settlement activities in the West Bank.

He added that such an Israeli commitment would boost peace talks.

On Thursday, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel only intends to declare a nine-month freeze of settlement activities in the West Bank without Jerusalem as it considered Jerusalem “the united and eternal capital of the Jewish people”.

On Friday, Haaretz said that the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, called on Netanyahu to freeze all settlement activities in order to enable the resumption of peace talks.

Merkel added that freezing all settlement activities is essential for the resumption of peace talks.

She reiterated her statement on Friday during a press conference with Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin.

Netanyahu did not make any promises on freezing settlement activities and only claimed that his government in interested in resuming peace talks with the Palestinian Authority within a month or two.

He added that his government did not reach any deal or understanding with the U.S. administration regarding settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

Netanyahu: We didn't agree on settlement freeze

Friday August 28, 2009 01:31 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli occupation government prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, denied on Thursday that Israel agreed on a settlement freeze during talks with the U.S. administration. His statement came after the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said that settlement freeze is essential to resume the Middle East peace process.

Merkel said that time is very essential in the issue, and that an agreement is required soon. 

At a press conference with Merkel, Netanyahu said that “there are no agreements or decisions regarding a settlement freeze, all news in this regards are baseless rumors.” 

Netanyahu added that Israel would only recognize the Palestinian state after the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people.

He said that his government will continue its cooperation with the U.S. President, Barack Obama, in order to re-launch the stalled peace process. 

Meanwhile, Merkel said that Germany would help Israel in “searching for a solution that guarantees a Palestinian state living in peace next to Israel.”

She also said that settlement freeze is very important as it boosts the resumption of peace talks.

Referring to Iran, Merkel said that the country would face more sanctions if it continues to reject negotiations on its “nuclear agenda.”