Israeli Prime Minister refuses US-proposed settlement freeze

Tuesday September 15, 2009 03:17 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

 The Israeli occupation government prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, today rejected U.S. calls to freeze its illegal  settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem (all Israeli settlements are illegal under international law).  His announcement comes on the eve of a crucial meeting with U-S Mideast envoy, George Mitchell.

  Mitchell has been trying to arrange an Israeli-Palestinian summit on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session next week.
 
Selected by President Obama due to his success in negotiating a peace agreement in Northern Ireland, George Mitchell has found the Israel-Palestine conflict a bit more difficult to resolve.  He has been pressing Israel to halt its construction of homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
 
But the statement today by the Israeli Prime minister demonstrates Israel’s refusal to cooperate with Mitchell’s effort.  Netanyahu said Israel will continue to build some 3,000 apartments already approved in West Bank settlements.
 
He also said Israel would continue to build without restrictions in east Jerusalem, which Israel considers part of its capital.
 
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of civilians onto territory seized by military force.

P.A to tell Mitchell "no talks without settlement freeze"

Tuesday September 15, 2009 03:12 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

As U.S. Middle East Envoy, George Mitchell is visiting the region and holding talks with Israeli officials before his planned visit to Ramallah, Palestinian Authority officials are planning to tell him that the peace process cannot resume while Israel is constructing settlements in the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem. 

Mitchell met with the Israeli occupation government president, Shimon Peres, and is planning to hold a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday morning before he travels to the central West Bank city of Ramallah to meet president Mahmoud Abbas. 

 Palestinian chief negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, stated that the Palestinian Authority will not agree to resuming the peace process before Israel fully stops its settlement activities in the West bank.

 Erekat denied reports regarding a possible three-way meeting between Abbas, Netanyahu the U.S. President Barack Obama before the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.

 The Palestinian Authority wants the United States to continue its pressure on Israel to halt its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

It is also demanding an end to the siege on Gaza and an end to Israel’s invasions and arrests in Palestinian controlled areas. 

 Israeli Ynet News reported that Netanyahu is expected to ask Mitchell to exclude Jerusalem from settlement freeze demands, and to ask the Palestinians to accept what Israel described as natural growth of its settlement, a ‘natural growth’ that is restricting the growth of the Palestinian population in their own land.

Netanyahu said that he informed the Americans that he would ‘decrease’ the construction of settlements for a limited time to promote peace talks.  

 The Israeli stances, even the ‘gesture’ of temporarily freezing settlement activities comes in direct violation of the International Law and the Fourth Geneva Conventions as settlements are illegal and constitute a war crime.