- 12 sept 2010
'13,000 settlement housing units ready for construction'
More than 13,000 settlement housing units are ready for construction once the building moratorium ends on September 26th and at least 2,000 are ready for immediate construction, according to a report by Peace Now released on Sunday.
According to the report, either construction permits have been approved or the ground works already laid for 2,066 housing units.
The group reported that at least another 11,000 housing units have had their building plans approved. According to Israeli law, settlers are allowed to construct the units without further approval by the government.
This translates into a total of 13,000 units which are ready for construction, even if the government implements an implicit building freeze and does not approve new construction in the future, without extending the moratorium. Of the 13,000 units, 5,000 are located east of the separation barrier in isolated settlements.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=187863
Peace Now: 2,066 West Bank settlement homes to be built as soon as freeze ends
New report indicates an overall of 13,000 previously authorized West Bank housing units, construction sites could be built after the Sept. 26 freeze expiration date.
2,066 new homes would be ready for continued West Bank construction as soon as a moratorium on settlement building is lifted later this month, a report by the Israeli left-wing NGO Peace Now said Sunday, adding that work on another 11,000 potential units could hypothetically start as well.
The Peace Now reports came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting earlier Sunday that while Israel wouldn't necessarily continue its freeze on settlement construction, it was possible that a compromise could be reached in which construction would resume at a slower pace.
"I don't know if there will be a comprehensive freeze," he said. "But I also don't know if it is necessary to construct all of the 20,000 housing units waiting to be built. In any case, it doesn't have to be all or nothing."
The Peace Now report released Sunday indicated that work could proceed on 2,066 housing units, spread out over 42 different settlements since those building projects had already received the required permits and have preliminary foundations.
The report's figures corresponded with previously released data on the subject, which alleged that between 2,000 and 2,500 homes were okayed for continued construction as soon as the settlement freeze expires in September 26.
In July, a Haaretz probe indicated that at least 2,700 new housing units were scheduled to be built in the West Bank as soon as the current settlement freeze ended.
Peace Now, in the report released Sunday, said the units were dispersed over, among other locations, settlements such as Talmon, Modi%u2019in Ilit, Kiryat Arba, Givat Ze'ev, and Kfar Tapuach.
In addition to the 2,066 units, Peace Now also claimed Sunday that there were an additional 11,000 potential houses which could be built, in places where general outlines had been approved.
Those potential units were located in Avnei Hefetz, Karnei Shomron, Ma'ale Efraim, Revava, Tekoa, Talmon, Kedumim, Immanuel, Mevo Dotan, and Beit Aryeh. However the fact that these units can be built doesn't necessarily mean they will be built in the near future.
Referring to the upcoming expiration date of the settlement building moratorium, Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika warned that "an announcement of a continuation of the building freeze will be considered an announcement of the end of term for the Netanyahu government."
Netanyahu's "government... was elected with the votes of the nationalist camp but is trying to implement the policies of Balad," Mesika added.
http://bit.ly/aKbRus
Will settlement construction freeze end?
Netanyahu: New settlement freeze unlikely - but compromise possible
PM hints West Bank construction will restart after Sept. 30 deadline - but not at full pace.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday refused to bow to Palestinian demands to continue a freeze on settlement building in the West Bank - but hinted at a compromise that would see construction resume at a slower pace.
Israel's commitment to settlement building threatens to paralyze new peace talks, which kicked off in Washington early this month.
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said:
"I don't know if there will be a comprehensive freeze," he said. "But I also don't know if it is necessary to construct all of the 20,000 housing units waiting to be built. In any case, between zero and one there are a lot of possibilities."
Israel agreed late last year to suspend construction in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, for 10 months. The freeze is now due to expire on September 30 after Israel agreed to a four-day extension.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said repeatedly he will walk out of talks if the moratorium does not continue throughout negotiations, scheduled to last a year.
Equally dangerous to negotiations is a new dispute over timetables. Israel is pushing for an initial focus on security and a formal end to the decades-old conflict through mutual recognition, but the Palestinians have demanded a debate from the outset on refugees, borders and the status of Jerusalem, which both sides claim as their capital.
On Sunday Netanyahu gave no sign of softening the Israeli position, insisting that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state was "fundamental" to Middle East Peace. Just as Israel and he personally had recognized the rights of Palestinians, Israel would demand recognition as the national homeland of the Jewish people, he told ministers.
"This is the basis for peace," he said.
Palestinian refusal to acknowledge Israel's Jewish status was obstructing progress toward a two-state solution, Netanyahu said.
"Sadly, I have not heard the Palestinians talk of two states for two nations. They speak of two states - but not two nations."
The prime minister told cabinet colleagues that he had telephoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over the weekend to congratulate him on Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim festival that ends the annual month-long Ramadan fast.
"If we can get over the issue of mutual recognition, I hope that next year we will be able to congratulate one another on achieving an agreement for peace," Netanyahu said.
The two leaders are due to meet on Tuesday for a second round of negotiations in the Egyptian resort of Sharm- el-Sheikh, with another meeting set for the following day in Jerusalem.
The United States, which is mediating the talks, proposed Wednesday's additional summit on Israeli soil in a push to maintain momentum, fearing that bickering could hamstring the talks from the outset.
On Friday U.S. President Barack Obama sought to heal tensions by playing down the significance of the September 26 deadline, urging Abbas to appreciate Netanyahu's difficulty in securing even a temporary freeze.
"A major bone of contention during the course of this month is going to be the potential lapse of the settlement moratorium," Obama said.
"The irony is, is that when Prime Minister Netanyahu put the moratorium in place, the Palestinians were very skeptical. It turns out, to Prime Minister Netanyahu's credit and to the Israeli government's credit, the settlement moratorium has actually been significant. It has significantly reduced settlement construction in the region."
Obama said he realized that some members of Netanyahu's government wanted the freeze to end and that he had told Abbas: "You've got to show the Israeli public that you are serious and constructive in these talks so that the politics for Prime Minister Netanyahu - if he were to extend the settlements moratorium - would be a little bit easier."
http://bit.ly/bLkIlp
Netanyahu on freeze: Partial freeze will continue
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu finally referred to the settlement building freeze on Sunday after pressure from ministers during a weekly cabinet meeting on the matter.
Netanyahu signaled that a partial freeze will continue to be enforced even though in the past he promised that building in the West Bank will continue as normal once the freeze ends.
"Its all or nothing, but there are also intermediate options to consider," Netanyahu said during a Likud ministerial meeting.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=187825
Netanyahu: PA recognition of Israel as Jewish state is 'basis for Middle East peace'
PM insists peace deal is possible within a year, despite growing differences between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators over structure of talks and settlements.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state was "fundamental" to Middle East Peace, amid a growing rift between Israel and the Palestinians over the formula for new negotiations.
The talks, which kicked off in Washington earlier this month, have already been marred by a dispute over timetables.
Israel is pushing for an initial focus on security and a formal end to the decades-old conflict, but the Palestinians have demanded debate from the outset on refugees, borders and the status of Jerusalem, which both sides claim as their capital.
At Sunday morning's weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu gave no sign of softening his position, telling ministers that just as Israel and he personally had recognized the rights of Palestinians, Israel would demand recognition as the national homeland of the Jewish people.
"This is the basis for peace," he said.
Palestinian refusal to acknowledge Israel's Jewish status was obstructing progress towrd a two-state solution, Netanyahu said.
"Sadly, I have not heard the Palestinians talk of two states for two nations. they speak of two states - but not two nations."
The prime minister told cabinet colleagues that he had telephoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over the weekend to congratulate him on Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim festival that ends the annual month-long Ramadan fast.
"If we can get over the issue of mutual recognition, I hope that next year we will be able to congratulate one another on achieving an agreement for peace," Netanyahu said.
The two leaders are due to meet on Tuesday for a second round of negotiations in the Egyptian resort of Sharm- el-Sheikh, with another meeting set for the following day in Jerusalem.
The United States, which is mediating the talks, proposed Wednesday's additional summit on Israeli soil in a push to maintain momentum, fearing bickering could hamstring the talks from the outset.
Alongside the row over the content of early sessions, there is also friction over an Israeli freeze on settlement construction, due to expire on September 26.
Abbas has said repeatedly that he will walk out of talks if the 10-month freeze, which covers all of the West Bank excluding East Jerusalem, is not extended.
On Friday U.S. President Barack Obama sought to heal tensions by playing down the significance of the September 26 deadline, urging Abbas to appreciate Netanyahu's difficulty in securing even a temporary freeze.
"A major bone of contention during the course of this month is going to be the potential lapse of the settlement moratorium," Obama said.
"The irony is, is that when Prime Minister Netanyahu put the moratorium in place, the Palestinians were very skeptical. It turns out, to Prime Minister Netanyahu's credit and to the Israeli government's credit, the settlement moratorium has actually been significant. It has significantly reduced settlement construction in the region."
Obama said he realized that some members of Netanyahu's government wanted the freeze to end and that he had told Abbas: "You've got to show the Israeli public that you are serious and constructive in these talks so that the politics for Prime Minister Netanyahu - if he were to extend the settlements moratorium - would be a little bit easier."
http://bit.ly/bDdX4R
Two weeks before settlement freeze due to end, PM Netanyahu keeps mum on whether he intends to extend it, in line with US request; government ministers divided on issue. Herzog: Brave steps needed; Yishai: Palestinians seek excuses.
Netanyahu's moment of truth nearing: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is keeping mum on his plans regarding the settlement construction freeze, slated to end later this month, but ministers in his governments are expressing contradictory views on the matter.
"Brave steps must be taken in order to continue the negotiations, even if this means extending the settlement freeze," Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog said Sunday.
On the other hand, Interior Minister Eli Yishai declared that "we must contend with the truth and not stick our head in the sand like an ostrich I'm very skeptical. I don't believe the Palestinians want diplomatic negotiations. They keep on looking for excuses and cannot even move forward and recognize a Jewish state one time it's the construction freeze, another time it's a freeze in Jerusalem first they should make internal peace with Hamas and then they can try talking to us."
The PM did not address the settlement freeze issue at the beginning of Sunday's government session. However, he referred to his upcoming meeting Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Sharm el-Sheikh, urging the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
"We both live on the same plot of land, yet while we talk about a solution of two nation-states a Jewish and a Palestinian one to my regret I do not hear the sentence 'two states for two peoples' uttered on the other said. I hear about two states, but I don't hear two peoples."
Meanwhile, Lebanese media, citing "diplomatic sources," reported Sunday that Netanyahu promised the US Administration not to resume settlement construction in the next eight months, without declaring this publically.
According to the report, PM Netanyahu told the US before the resumption of direct talks in Washington that his government would not publically declare either the end or a continuation of the building moratorium.
On Friday, US President Barack Obama told journalists that he advised the Israeli prime minister to extend the construction freeze in Judea and Samaria as long as the direct talks with the Palestinians continue.
http://bit.ly/cgsHQP
Netanyahu avoids discussing settlement freeze with cabinet
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu did not refer to an end of the settlement freeze at the beginning of his weekly Sunday cabinet meeting. He did, however, discuss the second round of direct talks scheduled for Sharm e-Sheikh on Tuesday.
Contrary to Netanyahu's silence on the issue, a number of ministers gave their opinion on the issue of the West Bank building moratorium, which is set to expire at the end of September.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=187820
Israel and Palestinians clash over agenda for direct peace talks
Netanyahu wants a formal end to the conflict - but Abbas is more concerned with the borders of a future state.
Israel and the Palestinians are at odds over which subjects will open their next round of peace talks, set to start Tuesday in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to begin with security arrangements, recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and a Palestinian willingness to declare an end to the conflict when an agreement is signed.
But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders want to begin by defining the borders of the Palestinian state. They adamantly refuse to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
Netanyahu's office declined Saturday to comment on U.S. President Barack Obama's call to the Israeli government to extend the construction freeze in settlements, due to expire on September 26. Instead, sources close to Netanyahu focused on Obama's comments that the United States would not force an agreement on the parties.
"A major bone of contention during the course of this month is going to be the potential lapse of the settlement moratorium," Obama said Friday at a White House press conference. "The irony is, is that when Prime Minister Netanyahu put the moratorium in place, the Palestinians were very skeptical."
According to Obama, "it turns out, to Prime Minister Netanyahu's credit and to the Israeli government's credit, the settlement moratorium has actually been significant. It has significantly reduced settlement construction in the region. And that's why now the Palestinians say, you know what, even though we weren't that keen on it at first or we thought it was just window dressing, it turns out that this is important to us."
Obama said he realized that some members of Netanyahu's government wanted the freeze to end. So he had told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, "you've got to show the Israeli public that you are serious and constructive in these talks so that the politics for Prime Minister Netanyahu - if he were to extend the settlements moratorium - would be a little bit easier."
In response to a question from Haaretz about what he would do if the negotiations failed - because since the opening of the talks in Washington the leaders sounded less prepared for a historic compromise - Obama said: "Ultimately the parties have to make these decisions for themselves."
But he said that if the talks broke down the United States would keep trying; the talks represented an opportunity "also to change the strategic landscape in the Middle East," which would "help us deal with an Iran that has not been willing to give up its nuclear program. It would help us deal with terrorist organizations in the region. So this is something in our interest."
Obama noted that both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and special Mideast envoy George Mitchell would be at the talks with the Palestinians in Sharm el-Sheikh as a sign of the deep involvement of the United States in the process.
Netanyahu will arrive in Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday morning for a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Netanyahu will then meet with Abbas, Clinton and Mitchell.
On Wednesday, Clinton and Mitchell will meet with Netanyahu and Abbas in Jerusalem.
A source in the Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had canceled a planned trip to Washington after Clinton asked to meet with him on Wednesday.
Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres exchanged holiday greetings with Abbas during Rosh Hashanah and Eid el Fitr. Peres told Abbas he should remain in office until peace is achieved, and that Netanyahu was a partner he could depend on. Abbas told Peres the Palestinians were serious about reaching a deal as soon as possible.
Obama said "there are going to be a whole bunch of folks in the region who want to undermine these negotiations. We saw it when Hamas carried out these horrific attacks against civilians."
However, Obama said promoting the peace talks was a risk worth taking because a peace deal "is in America's national security interests, as well as Israel's national security interests, as well as in the interests of the Palestinian people."
Obama said he believed that Abbas "understood the window for creating a Palestinian state is closing."
He said Israel and the Palestinian Authority needed each other because some elements in the region that purport to be friends of the Palestinians are doing "everything they can to avoid the path that would actually lead to a Palestinian state."
In response to Obama's call to continue the construction freeze, MK Danny Danon (Likud ) said: "An honest broker does not set unilateral conditions. Obama should respect Netanyahu's pledge to the people not to continue the construction freeze beyond September."
Meanwhile, the Fatah Central Committee released a statement over the weekend calling for the PA leadership not to continue direct talks with Israel if the settlement freeze is not extended. The statement appears to be an attempt to show the international community that even people in Fatah are pushing Abbas to condition the peace process on a continued settlement moratorium.
In an apparent hardening of the Palestinian position ahead of the Sharm el-Sheikh talks, a member of the Palestinian negotiating team who is also a member of the Fatah Central Committee, Nabil Shaath, said the Palestinians would never recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
The Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported yesterday that according to Palestinian sources, a crisis had erupted between Shaath and chief negotiator Saeb Erekat. The paper said Shaath is sparring with Erekat in a bid to lead the negotiations with Israel.
The strained relations between the two reached a peak a day after the Washington summit when Shaath told the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam that the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams would be meeting in Jericho last Monday, although Israel and the PA had agreed to keep the meeting a secret.
Erekat said Shaath was wrong, although Erekat and Netanyahu's negotiator Isaac Molho apparently did meet to prepare for this week's talks.
http://bit.ly/91V8QD
Comment comes as PM hints he may be open to a formulation of a partial West Bank building freeze.
Comment comes as PM hints he may be open to a formulation of a partial West Bank building freeze.
A continuation of a moratorium on West Bank settlement building would usher the end of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, a prominent settler leader said on Sunday, thus commenting on what many consider to an earlier remark by the premier.
Speaking at a meeting of Likud ministers earlier Sunday, Netanyahu hinted that he was open to a formulation of a partial building freeze in the settlements after September 30. "The freeze order is support to expire at the end of the month," Netanyahu said.
"19,000 homes can potentially be built, but I believe that in practice the number will be far less, and we have to think about this intelligently," Netanyahu added. "We will not accept a dictate that nothing will be built, but there are other options beside all or nothing."
Commenting on the PM's remarks, Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika said Sunday that "an announcement of a continuation of the building freeze will be considered an announcement of the end of term for the Netanyahu government, a government that was elected with the votes of the nationalist camp but is trying to implement the policies of Balad," Mesika said.
According to Mesika, "There is a limit to the untrustworthiness and the fraudulence %u2013 even from a politician like Netanyahu."
Mesika added that ever since the Netanyahu government took power in 2009, the situation in the settlements has deteriorated dramatically, and as a result of that, so has the situation for the whole State of Israel.
"A stuttering start to construction in the tiny minority of settlements on 6% of the land is the beginning of the expulsion from most of the settlements and from 94% of Judea and Samaria," Mesika said.
"Apparently Netanyahu wants to be Sharon, and the nationalist camp will vomit him out and bring down his government."
MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) responded to Netanyahu's statement, saying, "No one should be surprised when a spineless politician folds. All of Netanyahu's commitments to renew the building at the end of the freeze period aren't worth a garlic peel. The same goes for Likud ministers who come to terms with the continuation of the freeze."
MK Ahmed Tibi, Deputy Knesset Speaker and United Arab List Ta'al chairman, said in response to Netanyahu's statements that a compromise formula for building in the settlements, in which there is construction in the large settlement blocs, is worse than the current situation.
Tibi explained that the purpose of construction in the large settlement blocs is to force the Palestinians to accept the Israeli sovereignty over them, although Palestinians want them to be evacuated in a final settlement.
Tibi made the statements after a meeting in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Likud MK Danny Danon responded to Netanyahu's statements, saying "Netanyahu must remind Obama that Ariel and Beit El are not American cities and he has no mandate to decide on building in Judea and Samaria."
According to Danon, "On September 26, we stop asking the world for permission and start building everywhere, in Ariel, Yitzhar and Beit El."
http://bit.ly/ab4Gef
7 jan 2012, 16:03 , Respect -
Maria 13 sept 2010
Coalition chairman calls building freeze sin
Coalition Chairman Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) called upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to extend the construction moratorium imposed on West Bank settlements.
In a conference in honor of the Jewish New Year held by his fellow party member Knesset Member Sivan Shalom, Elkin said, "We have sinned before you, Father in Heaven, for freezing life and building in Judea and Samaria. I turn to Netanyahu and say: We are by your side. You must tell the world we were chosen to grown, build, and defend the Land of Israel."
http://bit.ly/baKw9K
'Peace talks will fail if West Bank construction resumes'
In rare interview with Hamas media, top PA negotiator warns Israel against renewing W.Bank building when freeze expires on September 26.
Israel will cause the recently relaunched peace talks to fail if it resumes building in West Bank settlements, Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted as saying Monday.
Israel Radio cited a rare interview the senior PA official gave to a Hamas newspaper based in the Gaza Strip.
The comments came a day after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Quartet envoy Tony Blair on Sunday that Israel would neither stop all construction in the West Bank after the moratorium ends on September 26, nor build all the tens of thousands of housing units that are in various planning phases.
The Palestinians want that after the 26th of September there will be no building in Judea and Samaria, and that will not happen, the prime minister said.
He said that Israel would build as the Olmert and Sharon governments built, meaning between 1,500 and 2,000 units a year. In this way Netanyahu is hoping to square the circle, telling the Palestinians that the current situation will continue, since building continued on about 2,500 units that were started before the moratorium went into effect in November, while telling his coalition partners, who want to see building continue, that the moratorium has ended.
Diplomatic sources said it was not clear, a day before the second round of direct negotiations on Tuesday in Sharm e-Sheikh, whether this formula would satisfy either the Palestinians or the Americans.
PA negotiator Nabil Sha'ath rejected one possible scenario that Israel would halt construction in outlying settlements but allow building in settlement blocs closer to the Green Line.
Sha'ath said this would appear to give Israel the right to decide which settlements it will keep.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=187914
PM, Abbas to meet in Egypt amid Palestinian threats to quit peace talks
PA officials reiterate that the Palestinian delegation will walk out if Israel resumes settlement construction, even if only in the main settlement blocs.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet in Sharm el-Sheikh Tuesday morning under the shadow of a Palestinian threat to walk away from the direct peace negotiations if Israel ends its construction freeze in the settlements.
The two leaders will discuss whether to open the talks with a debate on security arrangements or drafting the Palestinian state's borders with Israel. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who will attend the meeting, will have the last word on this issue.
A senior Palestinian official in Sharm el-Sheikh told Haaretz that Abbas and Netanyahu had reached an agreement on the issues they are to discuss. But the main controversy remains the construction freeze in the settlements. PA spokespeople reiterated yesterday that if Israel resumes construction, even if only in the settlement blocs, the Palestinian delegation will quit the talks.
The talks will continue in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Abbas is scheduled to arrive in the capital to meet with Netanyahu - for the first time since the latter entered office. The meeting will probably take place in the Prime Minister's Residence, where former premier Ehud Olmert used to host the Palestinian president. Clinton and Mitchell will also attend.
Netanyahu convened the forum of seven seven ministers Monday to discuss his proposal to resume construction in the West Bank settlements after September 30. He proposed limited construction, mainly in the large settlement blocs and Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.
The ministers reached no decisions at the meeting, which lasted more than three hours. Most of the ministers did not reject Netanyahu's proposal out of hand. The only one demanding that construction be renewed with no restrictions and in all West Bank settlements was Minister without Portfolio Benny Begin.
Senior ministers Ehud Barak and Dan Meridor were in favor of limiting construction to settlement blocs only. Interior Minister Eli Yishai of Shas is also expected to support Netanyahu's proposal. Yishai is more concerned about construction in the ultra-Orthodox West Bank cities Modi'in Ilit and Beitar Ilit, home to many of his constituents.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said in recent weeks that unlimited construction should be renewed in the settlement blocs, with construction for "natural growth" renewed in isolated settlements.
A senior Jerusalem official familiar with the forum's debates said all the ministers know it is unrealistic to expect the resumption of unlimited construction. They are aware they must find a formula "the world can live with," the official said.
The Americans and Palestinians would find Netanyahu's proposal unacceptable, but the ministers are looking for a formula that would not sabotage the direct talks, the official said.
The Palestinian delegation landed in Cairo yesterday ahead of today's talks. Both sides decided not to hold a news conference after the summit. Instead, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit will make a statement and sum up the meeting.
Palestinian source said the Americans were pressing the Palestinians to continue the negotiations at least until the end of September, to try to reach an understanding on borders and let Israel continue building in the areas it will keep under its sovereignty.
The Egyptian foreign minister said yesterday there was no problem with Israel's demand to recognize it as a Jewish state, but the United Nations must be the one to do so.
Netanyahu's hints in the last few days on limiting construction in the West Bank are raising concerns on the right. The settlers and Likud hawks are pleased with the pressure they have put on the prime minister, which has created the impression he has no choice but to continue construction.
They insist that construction continue not only in settlement blocs and cities but in all West Bank settlements.
http://bit.ly/aFbz9v
PA to renew Israeli talks without freeze
Despite Israel's refusal to extend its settlement freeze, the Palestinian Authority (PA) will still resume the second round of direct talks with Tel Aviv.
The upcoming meeting will be held at Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas held the first round of negotiations in Washington on September 2.
Following the first meeting, Abbas warned that he would leave the negotiations should Israel resume its illegal settlement activities.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell will also travel to Egypt to attend the meeting.
The four officials will then move to al-Quds (Jerusalem) for a second day of talks on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama will meet with Abbas and Netanyahu in New York next week during the UN General Assembly meeting.
The second round of Israeli-PA talks comes after Israel on Monday approved the construction of more than 13,000 new settler units in the occupied West Bank.
In November, the Israeli premier announced a 10-month freeze on illegal settlement expansion projects in the occupied West Bank.
But Tel Aviv has repeatedly violated the freeze, which expires on September 26, by continuing to construct more settlement units.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/142352.html
7 jan 2012, 16:03 , Respect -
Maria 14 sept 2010
Associated Press 'playing politics'
by Daoud Kuttab
The Associated Press takes pride in being the leading international news agency. The short headlines that appear on the Yahoo home page are almost exclusively reserved to AP stories. But even the great AP makes mistakes. Sometimes its errors are not factual but a descriptive. The consequences are just as bad.
Reporting from Washington, AP's Security Affairs Reporter Robert Burns filed an analysis piece Monday about the challenges facing US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's upcoming trip to the Middle East. The story was dealing with whether she will be able to overcome the looming settlement obstacle. Burns, unilaterally, decided to change the terminology and phraseology connected to one of the major obstacles of the Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. Settlements.
He changed the word "settlement" to "housing construction." He also replaced "freeze" with the word "curb." As a result, Burns' 698 word analysis refers regularly to the fact that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hinting on "a housing construction curb."
I googled the story for which the analysis was based and found that all western media outlets used the universally accepted term "settlements." Outlets such as CNN, Reuters, NY Times, Bloomberg, Washington Post and even AP used the exact same word. For example, the headline and the lead paragraph of the report by AP's Mark Lavie in Jerusalem used the word "settlement" and "freeze" in reference to the issue at hand.
The Israeli media was also universal in identifying the building in the occupied territories with the same term that the UN and the US have used repeatedly. Not only did the left-leaning Haaretz use the term 'settlements' but so did the mass circulating papers like, Yediot Ahranot, Maariv, Israel Today, and the financial daily Globes.
Anyone following the fragile peace talks that were launched earlier this month, knows that the continuation of the talks are hinged on whether Israel agrees to continue the settlement freeze which it had initiated ten months earlier and which are due to expire on 26 September. Palestinians have said that they will walk out of the talks if the Israelis decide to continue building settlements because that will show their lack of good will toward peace. On the other hand, the Israeli prime minister has been under pressure to allow building of settlements once the moratorium expires in a couple of weeks.
By changing the terminology, Burns has clearly taken a biased stand and has even contradicted what appears to be part of the AP style book.
Israeli propagandists try to dismiss the fact that the settlements built in areas occupied in 1967 are contrary to international law. Every US president since 1967 has chastised Israel for building settlements in occupied territories. Every UN Security Council Resolution and UN General Assembly decree or statement have repeatedly censored Israel for violating the Geneva Conventions. As late as July 2004 the International Court of Justice at the Hague unanimously agreed in a decision about the Israeli wall, built deep in Palestinian territories, that settlement activities in the West Bank are in violation of international law.
While AP reporters, international law, and the unanimity of world opinion agree to call Israeli building activity in the territories settlements, the Associated Press reporter, Robert Burns, insists on his own terminology. Ironically, his insistence is not only restricted to what terms he gives to settlements, but he has the audacity and the lack of professionalism to put his language in the mouths of Palestinians.
Speaking about the difficulties facing Clinton, Burns tells the readers what he thinks Palestinians want. "But the most immediate obstacle for negotiators is a Palestinian demand that Israel extend a curb on new housing construction[emphasis mine] in the West Bank, a constraint that Israel says will expire Sept. 26," Burns writes.
Palestinians have never demanded a "curb on housing construction," as if this was a mere zoning issue. Palestinians have consistently sided with the international community that these Jewish-only settlements, built on illegally confiscated Palestinian lands, are in violation of international law and must be removed. This demand is not aimed at the race or religion of the settlers but the fact that this was done in violation of international law. In a gesture for peace during proximity talks this summer, Palestinians officially handed the US peace envoy written approval that Palestinians would be willing to make a compromise for some of the settlement blocs in areas cradling the Green Line on condition that they are swapped for lands equal in size and importance. But this has not changed Palestinians demands that settlement activities must be suspended during the peace talks.
Instead of playing politics, Burns should focus his reporting and analysis on what he is committed to do as an AP reporter. "We insist on the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior when we gather and deliver the news. That means we abhor inaccuracies, carelessness, bias or distortions. It means we will not knowingly introduce false information into material intended for publication or broadcast," is what the AP states about its professional journalistic duty.
AP's guidelines and principles published on their website conclude with the following, "Ultimately, it means it is the responsibility of every one of us to ensure that these standards are upheld. Any time a question is raised about any aspect of our work, it should be taken seriously."
I hope that the editors of the Associated Press would take this complaint seriously, make the appropriate correction and ensure the public that such unprofessional actions will not be repeated.
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist, former Ferris professor of journalism at Princeton University, and director of PEN media. This article was re-printed with permission from the author.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314777
Israeli building firm resumes large scale construction in Modi'in settlement
RAMALLAH,- The Israeli Naot Pisgah company resumed Tuesday construction in the Modi'in Illit settlement, west of Ramallah, despite Israel's decision to temporarily freeze building in Israeli settlements.
The company's general manager says it was decided to resume construction in Modi'in Illit for economical reasons and not ideological ones.
He added that the firm will build a 2,300 unit neighborhood in the settlement.
The company's decision came after the Israeli government rejected the firm's claim for about 48 million dollars in compensation for losses incurred due to the settlement freeze.
Hamas spokesman Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri said to media outlets Tuesday that the Israeli company's announcement to build more settlement units in light of resumed peace talks between Fatah's authority in Ramallah and Israel proves that the negotiations are only a cover-up for globally criticized settlement activity.
The construction overlapping the negotiations confirms their [the negotiations] gravity, which calls for a national effort to stop Fatah from this gambling that harms Palestinian national interests, Abu Zuhri said.
http://bit.ly/aS2m2O
7 jan 2012, 16:03 , Respect -
Maria 15 sept 2010
Ministry: No building planned in Givat Hamatos
Rumors race through media that a 1,300-unit construction project in east Jerusalem neighborhood, would be discussed, and possibly approved, at an October meeting.
Rumors raced through the media Tuesday that a 1,300-unit construction project in Givat Hamatos, an east Jerusalem neighborhood, would be discussed, and possibly approved, at an October meeting of the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee.
The rumors were immediately denounced by the Interior Ministry, which oversees the district committee.
The agenda that was sent to the members of the committee was a recommendation and was not finalized and, as far as it looks, this subject will not be brought up for discussion at any determined period, an Interior Ministry spokesman told The Jerusalem Post.
Since the announcement of the initial approval of a 1,600-unit project in Ramat Shlomo during US Vice President Joe Biden's visit in March, the Jerusalem district committee has hardly approved any building in east Jerusalem.
Some ministers, including Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud), call the lack of action by the district committee a de facto freeze on east Jerusalem construction, though both the Interior Ministry and the Jerusalem municipality deny this.
An announcement of an initial approval of the Givat Hamatos project could set off similar shockwaves during the peace negotiations that are expected to take place every two weeks, beginning with this week's round in Sharm e-Sheikh.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=188127
MKs warn Steinitz: Budget won't pass if freeze continues
Rift in government must be healed first, says Livni; Mofaz sees no reason to continue freeze in large settlements or Jerusalem neighborhoods.
The 2011 state budget will not pass when the Knesset recess ends next month if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decides to continue the construction moratorium in Judea and Samaria, Likud MKs warned Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz on Monday.
Following a meeting with Steinitz and Finance Ministry officials, coalition chairman Ze'ev Elkin and MKs Danny Danon, Yariv Levin and Tzipi Hotovely, took Steinitz aside and told him not to take the budget's passage for granted. If the freeze continues it would be be such a break that it would change the rules of the game, Elkin said.
Later Monday, at a new year's toast hosted by Vice Premier Silvan Shalom, Elkin called the freeze a sin and asked for God's forgiveness.
Ministers and MKs at the event said they supported Netanyahu but warned him not to stray from Likud's path.
Shalom slammed Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor's proposal to resume construction only in the settlement blocs while continuing the freeze in more isolated communities.
Deciding the borders before the negotiations would be completely foolish, Shalom said. Why would we decide which settlements must be removed from the map already now? Is this Likud? Is this why we came back to power?
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin made an impassioned plea at the event to Israel's leaders to engage in soul searching over considering giving up the country's assets to refugees from 1948 who have not given up their hopes of returning to their homes in pre-1967 Israel.
He said that similarly the leaders of the US and Europe required soul searching for their plans to pressure Israel to take steps that would destroy the country.
In her first comments since Netanyahu hinted the freeze could partially continue, Kadima and opposition leader Tzipi Livni pushed him to take dramatic steps.
I expect someone who says he wants two nation-states to understand the price necessary to reach an agreement, Livni said. Instead of speaking in slogans, [Netanyahu] must decide whether he is willing to risk a rift in his government to end the rift with the Palestinians.
But Livni's Kadima rival, MK Shaul Mofaz, told Israel Radio that he saw no reason to continue the freeze in large settlements or parts of Jerusalem that will remain in Israeli custody as part of a future agreement.
Social Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog angered the Right by suggesting extending the freeze by two months.
It frustrates me to hear ministers saying to continue it for just two more months and then we can build, Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli Edelstein said. The freeze is a test for future developments in the negotiations, because if we give in on this, why wouldn't we on the Old City of Jerusalem.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=188015
Settlement freeze 'ends' for Modiin Illit
Construction company whose damages claim over suspended project was rejected resumes planned building outside Green Line despite lack of conclusive government decision on settlement activity. 'This was a business decision,' says CEO
Washington may be pressing the issue and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to have the final word on the settlement freeze, but the Neot Hapisga construction company does not seem to care, as it resumed its project in the town of Modiin Illit Tuesday exactly where it was left off nearly a year ago.
Modiin Illit is a designated haredi city, located beyond the Green Line. Construction on the project was suspended when the government agreed to a settlement freeze in late 2009.
Neot Hapisga CEO Amir Zaken told Ynet that the decision does not stem from any ideological motive, but rather that the company "has to meet its obligations to bond holders, banks and clients. The only way for us to recoup the investment is to resume the project, and since there is no freeze right now, we're back on the site.
"This was a business decision, not an ideological one. We are law-abiding people. We plan to build according to the legal building permits we were given by state zoning administrations. We have millions invested here.
"We accepted the government's decision to halt settlement construction. We suspended the project, fired everyone. The government is responsible for compensating all the people and bodies harmed by its decision," he said.
Zaken's company was the first to file a damages claim with the State's Claims Committee, for damages suffered due to the settlement freeze. The NIS 171 million ($45.4 million) claim was rejected on Monday, and the company decided not to pursue further legal options at this time.
In stead, Neot Hapisga assuming the settlement freeze's end in pending simply resumed construction.
Modiin Illit's project outline includes the construction of 2,300 housing units, on land purchased by the company in 2006. So far, only 500 units were built.
October will see a meeting of Jerusalem's sub-committee for appeals on the city's Zoning Committee decisions, with aim of approving 1,362 new housing units in the south-Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat HaMatos. The planned project is meant to take shape in an area outside the Green Line.
Ir Amim (City of Nations), an Israeli non-profit organization dedicated that focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Jerusalem, said that "unfortunately, east Jerusalem is once again used in provocative and irresponsible moves, especially at this sensitive time.
"Going forward with these plans at this time, parallel to the peace talks, is irresponsible and may have rueful ramifications."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954061,00.html
Mitchell says settlement freeze must continue
US special envoy George Mitchell said the West Bank settlement construction freeze must continue, despite being a sensitive political issue in Israel.
Speaking at a press conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Mitchell clarified that the parties must continue the negotiations, which would remain discreet, adding that the direct talks were crucial for both sides
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954003,00.html
Mitchell: Israel must extend freeze
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- US special envoy George Mitchell told reporters Tuesday that Israel must commit to extending its 10-month moratorium on illegal settlement construction the West Bank.
Mitchell's comments were made on the sidelines of the second round of direct negotiations in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm Ash-Sheikh, where he called on both sides to continue talks.
After meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak individually, President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton gathered for a joint talks, during which Palestinian officials said borders and security would be focal points on the agenda.
Shtayeh: There are obstacles
Mohammad Shtayeh, also a member of the Palestinian delegation, told the Ma'an radio network that during the multi-lateral meetings, borders and security would be discussed.
The former housing minister said obstacles remained in place on both sides, counting the settlement freeze among the most serious, adding that a withdrawal from talks would be based on Israel's stance toward extending the moratorium past its late-September deadline
According to Qatar-based TV network Al-Jazeera, several disagreements have already come to the fore during talks, with both sides unable to come to an agreement on borders. A source also told the network Israel will refuse extending its moratorium on illegal settlement building in the West Bank.
Earlier Tuesday, Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath said reports that the talks in Sharm Ash-Sheikh will focus on Israel security matters solely were false, adding in a statement that "there is no security without the land and the borders and they know this very well."
The PLO and PA have threatened to walk out of talks if Israel does not extend its slow-down on illegal settlement expansion. In March, US-mediated "proximity" talks were swiftly derailed when Israel announced that it had approved the expansion of an Israeli-only settlement in occupied East Jerusalem.
Direct negotiations were relaunched in Washington on 2 September after a 20-month hiatus as Israel launched its devastating assault against the Gaza Strip in December 2008.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=314910
US Reaffirms Call For Continuance of Settlement Freeze
Speaking following trilateral talks between the US, Israel and the PLO delegation, Tuesday morning, US Special Envoy George Mitchell has reaffirmed the US government's desire for Israel to continue their settlement freeze.
Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that he would not continue the moratorium, but was willing to only build in the main settlements rather than create new outposts.
Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas has stated numerous times since the re-start of peace talks, two weeks ago, that if the settlement freeze, that is due to end on September 26th, is not extended then the Palestinian delegation will end their attendance at talks.
Mitchell stated that today's talks included discussions on core issues, but that details would remain confidential.
Israeli pro-peace group Peace Now reported, last month, that there had been 492 incidents of Israeli violations of the moratorium, and that 2,066 new homes were planned to have their construction begun once the freeze ends.
http://bit.ly/a4fATZ
Palestinian 'all or nothing' strategy paralyzing peace talks, Israeli officials warn
As leaders head to Egypt for a second round of negotiations, sides seem no closer to a compromise on West bank settlements.
The Palestinians' "all or nothing" strategy of insisting on a total freeze on West Bank settlement building risked paralyzing Middle East peace talks in their infancy, officials close to the heart of negotiations warned Tuesday.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas travel to Egypt for a second round of negotiations, senior officials inside Netanyahu's office said they expected the Palestinians to avoid extreme responses that could derail the U.S.-sponsored peace process.
"This attitude of all or nothing has until now led to a stagnation over the past year, with the result that despite nine month of construction freeze, there were no negotiations," one official told Haaretz.
Under international pressure, Israel in late 2009 declared a 10-month freeze on settlement building in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem. But that is due to expire in late September, less than a month after talks kicked off in Washington, and the Palestinians have repeatedly vowed to walk out if building resumes.
As well as the row over settlement, early talks have also been marred by disputes over format and as she accompanies the leaders to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's main aim will be to save negotiations from an early death.
"The aim of this trip and the meeting with Abu Mazen [Abbas] is to find a way to continue the talks, not to blow them out of the water," the official added.
"If we can't reach agreement on a small issue like the settlements, what are our chances of striking a deal over borders and refugees?"
On Sunday, Netanyahu hinted he would be willing to impose a partial freeze over the coming 12-months of scheduled talks, but this has so far not been accepted by the Palestinians.
http://bit.ly/cIB4U3
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves for Sharm el-Sheik peace talks but political sources are already assigning blame for talks' possible failure. PA must act responsibly, they say.
SHARM el-SHEIL Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, Tuesday morning, ahead of a day of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Accompanying Netanyahu are National Security adviser Uzi Arad, communications director Nir Hefetz, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser, Yitzhak Molcho and Military Secretary General Yohanan Locker.
Israel, it seems, is already assigning possible blame should this round of talks fail: "We expect the Palestinians to act responsibly," a source in Netanyahu's entourage said.
The Palestinian's attitude, added another source, "Had led to a nine-month standstill on negotiations. The notion of 'all or nothing' led to deadlock.
"If the parties cannot pass the hurdle posed by the settlement freeze, how will they overcome the questions of borders and refugees?"
Following recent statements by Palestinian officials suggesting the PA is on the verge of walking away from the negotiating table, political sources said that the Palestinians should refrain from such a move, and "discuss theses complex issues."
Netanyahu was reportedly infuriated by the Palestinians' threat, as sources said he intends of demanding that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "rein his people in." Netanyahu intends to remind Abbas of their Washington agreement to keep the talks discreet and refrain from making vehement statements in the press if in deed he intends to pursue peace seriously.
The difficulties noted in the negotiations so far have prompted the Prime Minister's Office to cancel a series of events planned for Tuesday, including a joint press conference in which Israel and the Palestinian Authority were to announce the official launch of their direct talks.
With tensions high, it is unclear at this time whether Netanyahu will meet with Abbas in private.
Sources in the premier's entourage said such a meeting was up to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as "she sets the agenda."
Clinton arrived in Egypt on Monday night and repeated US President Barack Obama's call for Israel to extend the 10-month moratorium on settlements that is due to expire on September 26.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3953795,00.html
PA resumes talks with Israel in Egypt
The Palestinian Authority is set to resume direct talks with Israel in Egypt as Palestinians reiterate their opposition to the negotiations.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday to oversee negotiations, which are expected to discuss the thorny issue of settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
While the Palestinian Authority (PA) has repeatedly warned that Israel's insistence on continuing construction in occupied territories could derail the talks, Tel Aviv has not yet announced any plans to extend a settlement freeze which expires on September 26.
The parties also have differences over where to begin, as Tel Aviv wants the first issue to be future security arrangements and a Palestinian recognition of Israel.
The Ramallah-based authority, on the other hand, sees the definition of the borders of the future Palestinian state as of prime importance.
Despite strong opposition at home, the PA joined Israel at the negotiating table on September 2 upon the invitation of the US state department, marking the first round of direct talks between Ramallah and Tel Aviv after nearly 20 months.
In a Monday statement, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) described the talks scheduled for Tuesday in Egypt as pointless, saying they would not serve the interests or rights of Palestinians, the Ma'an news agency reported.
The PLFP asked Palestinian Authority leaders and the ruling Palestine Liberation Organization to stop "chasing illusions" and cancel the imminent talks between acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Negotiating with Israel only encourages more Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds and will lead to "the occupation committing extra crimes against the Palestinians," the statement concluded.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/142448.html
Netanyahu furious at Palestinian threats to end talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has landed in Sharm el-Sheikh ahead of the second round of peace talks and has stressed he is "furious at Palestinian statements about ending negotiations."
Netanyahu said he intends to demand Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to "hold negotiations discretely sans inflammatory statements as agreed upon in Washington."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3953802,00.html
Abbas threatens to quit talks after PM promises to renew building
A senior Palestinian official reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to leave direct peace talks if building is resumed in West Bank settlements. According to the official, who asked to remain anonymous, Abbas made these statements a short time after his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the latter's residence in Jerusalem.
The official clarified that Abbas voiced the threat after Netanyahu said that he will renew construction in the West Bank when once the expiration on the 10-month building freeze runs out.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954990,00.html
EU leaders to urge Israel: Renew settlement freeze
Summit draft calls settlements 'illegal under international law' and harmful to ongoing peace negotiations.
European Union leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday will call on Israel to extend a moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank, according to a draft of the summit conclusions seen by Reuters.
"The European Union deems it indispensable that both parties observe calm and restraint and refrain from actions that could affect negatively the progress of the negotiation," reads the draft, referring to direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that began this month.
"In this regard, it recalls that settlements are illegal under international law and, with a view to ensure that these talks continue in a constructive manner, calls for an extension of the moratorium decided by Israel."
Israel's 10-month moratorium is due to expire at the end of September. The United States has said it would "make sense" for Israel to extend its settlement building freeze.
As the EU leaders were presenting their draft, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were meeting in Jerusalem to continue their direct peace negotiations.
Netanyahu has declared that Israel will not renew the settlement freeze after it expires later this month a key Palestinian demand for continuing talks. U.S. envoy George Mitchell, who has been involved in the recent talks, said however that the two were making progress on the issue.
http://bit.ly/dhqt2J
PM to Abbas: We'll continue building in settlements
During talks in Jerusalem, Netanyahu tells Palestinian president his stance on West Bank construction has not changed. PMO: No compromises on Israel's security needs.
During their meeting in Jerusalem Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel plans to resume construction in the West Bank settlements once the moratorium expires on September 26.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and special Mideast envoy George Mitchell also took part in the two-hour meeting at the PM's official residence, where Israeli, Palestinian, and American flags were displayed.
"The prime minister is hosting Abu Mazen (Abbas) in his home in friendship and benevolence, but during the talks themselves, he will insist adamantly on Israel's security needs. There are no compromises on this matter," a senior official in the Prime Minister's Office said.
Mitchell said Wednesday night that Israel and the Palestinians are addressing the core disputes.
"They are tackling up front ... the issues that are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Mitchell told reporters after Netanyahu and Abbas met .
"I will say that the two leaders are not leaving the tough issues to the end of their discussions ... We take this as a strong indicator of their belief that peace is possible."
At the opening of the meeting, a smiling Netanyahu said he was happy to host Abbas, adding that "we have much work to do." Abbas, also smiling, humorously responded by saying the two leaders "haven't met in a while."
The Palestinian leader signed the guestbook at the PM's residence, writing that he is back at the site after a long absence to continue the negotiations, in the hopes of securing eternal peace in the entire region.
Abbas wrote that he especially wishes to secure peace "between the Israeli people and the Palestinian people."
The two leaders are expected to hold more talks after dinner.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954938,00.html
Sources: No compromise on settlements
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- American mediators may step in and offer a solution to the settlements issue, an informed source told Ma'an on Wednesday.
Citing what the source called precedents in the talks in both Washington and Egypt, the source said that on a growing number of occasions mediators had intervened during crisis points, and offered median solutions to the issues at hand.
"It is distinctly possible that [the US] will present proposals on the settlement issue, under which Israel would be committed to stop expansions beyond their current borders, as well as limit vertical expansion," as a cap system forcing settlement construction to fill-in already occupied areas of Palestinian land.
The current boundaries of settlements in the West Bank, however, occupy some 40 percent of the land, one source added, saying he believed this fact alone would "lead to the total rejection of a median solution in this respect."
Palestinian political analyst Sameeh Shubeib said the Palestinian stance on rejecting talks if Israel did not come through with a settlement freeze was a wise one. He criticized those who attempted to discredit the Palestinian position, saying it only created weakness in the political camp, and could harm diplomatic actions.
"The settlements issue needs to be discussed as the root concern of the talks," Suheib said, adding that no attempt should be made to avert attention from the issue.
PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo added his stance to the discussion Wednesday morning, during an interview with Palestine Radio. He stressed that "what is important to the Palestinians is to achieve real progress in the peace process," rather than securing what he described as "press statements" only.
Early reports that a deal had been reached with Israel to freeze settlement construction on the ground but not as policy had garnered criticism from some sides, while others praised the reported deal as tactical.
Abed Rabbo made a similar comment when asked his stance on the Israeli request that negotiators recognize Israel as a Jewish state, saying he was interested in real progress, and not empty statements.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315092
Netanyahu to Abbas: Don't let end of settlement freeze foil peace talks
Prime Minister considering trip to U.S. on Saturday for summit organized by Bill Clinton at which Abbas will also be present; Netanyahu would meet with Obama after summit.
The United States has stepped up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to resolve the crisis over the looming end of the settlement freeze. During talks between the two leaders with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Sinai resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday, a number of ideas were raised in an effort to achieve a breakthrough.
Abbas is scheduled to visit Jerusalem Wednesday afternoon for direct talks at the Prime Minister's official residence in the city. This will be the first such meeting in the capital since Netanyahu's took office last year.
Abbas and Netanyahu will first meet with Clinton and U.S. special envoy George Mitchell, and then they will hold a private meeting.
Neither side offered much information on Tuesday about what is expected during the meeting between the two leaders today.
Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina gave a statement saying that the negotiations were very serious but the issue of settlements constitutes an obstacle to peace.
Netanyahu is considering traveling to New York Saturday after the end of the Yom Kippur holiday to attend a summit being organized by former President Bill Clinton at the United Nations. Abbas is also scheduled to attend the meeting, which will be held in parallel with the UN General Assembly meeting.
If Netanyahu travels to the U.S. he will also visit American President Barack Obama in Washington on Monday or Tuesday.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit went a step further on Tuesday when he said that Egypt, the Palestinians and the international community see no point in continuing direct talks if central obstacles to the process exist.
"And the settlements are in our view an obstacle," Aboul Gheit said at a press conference from Sinai.
The Egyptian foreign minister added that the negotiations are focused on the issue of borders and any agreement will be based on determining these borders.
He said that following a deal, each side would be able to do whatever it pleases with the territory that will be under its control, possibly hinting that if the future borders of a Palestinian state are agreed on, then it would be possible to allow construction in settlement areas that will remain under Israel's control.
The near media blackout followed tensions after Israel complained that the Palestinians were violating agreements reached earlier on controlling leaks to the press and avoiding inflammatory statements.
During the preparatory work in Washington D.C. two weeks ago, the two sides had signed a "code of behavior" agreeing that negotiations would remain secret. It was also agreed that the two sides would avoid the "blame game."
However, in recent days Netanyahu and his aides complained about the many interviews given by members of the Palestinian negotiating team, Saeb Erekat and Nabil Sha'ath. The two are rivals to lead the negotiations among the Palestinians, and leaked details of the preparatory talks, including news of a meeting that was expected to take place last week in Jericho. Due to the leak the meeting was canceled by Israel.
"The briefings [to the international media] are not even remotely discreet," complained a senior aide to Netanyahu. "They spoke against us on record to the media. We, on the other hand, are showing restraint and discretion, and are very careful in an effort not to undermine the talks."
Netanyahu raised the issue during his meeting with Clinton and asked that the Palestinian fall in line with the agreements, something which he later told Abbas during a meeting.
Sources said the talks on Tuesday were intensive. Netanyahu met immediately after arriving at Sharm el-Sheikh with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and then held a meeting with Clinton. The two were then joined by Abbas and Mitchell.
After a meeting of one hour and forty minutes, there was a lunch break, which was hosted by the Egyptian leader.
An unscheduled meeting of the four, which lasted another hour, followed the lunch. Also in the meeting were negotiators Yitzhak Molcho and Saeb Erekat.
A senior Israeli official said that Netanyahu had made it clear to Abbas that the settlement freeze will come to an end as scheduled on September 26 and will not be extended.
However, the prime minister said that construction will be limited and will not exceed that which was carried out under the tenure of former prime minister Ehud Olmert, with whom Abbas held direct talks.
"The end of the settlement freeze must not be allowed to foil the talks," Netanyahu told Abbas. "We have taken on an ambitious mission of reaching agreement within a year and we must focus on that."
Among the ideas for achieving a breakthrough on the issue of the settlement freeze was to hold intensive talks on the question of borders for a future Palestinian state and setting a three month deadline for agreement. In return the Palestinians would agree to continue the talks despite a return to building in the West Bank.
Mitchell, who refused to give details on the content of the talks, said that there was also discussion of the core issues of a future permanent settlement, describing the atmosphere as "serious" and the talks as "detailed."
The two leaders instructed Erekat and Molcho to arrange another meeting in the coming days, prior to the end of the settlement moratorium.
http://bit.ly/9nJE9G
7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 16 sept 2010
Clinton urges Israel: Extend settlement freeze, even for a limited time
Secretary of State tells Channel 10 such a move would be 'extremely useful'; Arab League: No point negotiating if settlements continue.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Israel on Thursday to extend its freeze of construction in West Bank settlements, telling Channel 10 in an interview that such a move would be "extremely useful" in advancing peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Clinton, who was visiting the region this week for a second round of direct talks between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamain Netanyahu, suggested extending the partial freeze for even a limited amount of time.
"Where we sit now it would be useful for some extension, it would be extremely useful," Clinton said in the interview. "I don't think a limited extension would undermine the process going forward if there were a decision agreed to by both parties."
Clinton added that the U.S. believed it necessary to create a good "atmosphere" for the renewed talks, and that like Netanyahu, she regretted that negotiations had not begun sooner.
The issue of settlements would have to be brought to the table if the sides wished to see these negotiations advance and reach their goal of a democratic Israel alongside a Palestinian state, she said.
The secretary of state has participated this week in three joint meetings between Abbas and Netanyahu - two in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh and another in Jerusalem - and has held a handful of private talks with each leader.
She and U.S. envoy George Mitchell have expressed optimism regarding the progress of the talks and said that both Netanyahu and Abbas seemed serious about reaching a peace agreement this week.
Abbas, who met Clinton earlier Thursday at the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah, told reporters prior to that meeting that he saw no alternative to continuing the talks in search of a peace deal with Israel.
"We all know there is no alternative to peace through negotiations, so we have no alternative other than to continue these efforts," Abbas said.
It was not clear whether Abbas was suggesting that the Palestinians would remain committed to the talks even if Israel does not extend moratorium on construction in West Bank settlements, set to expire in 10 days. He had previously said the talks could not survive without continued restrictions on the construction in areas the Palestinians want for a future state.
Despite Abbas' remarks, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Thursday that negotiators would quit direct peace talks if Israel builds any new settlements after the end of a partial moratorium on construction in the West Bank.
"If one settlement is built after the end of the freeze, we will stop direct talks with Israel," al Maliki told reporters on the sidelines of an Arab League meeting in Cairo.
The Arab League also backs the Palestinians' refusal to continue direct peace talks if Israel resumes building settlements, the organization's chief said at the meeting in Cairo on Thursday.
"If settlement construction does not stop, then there is no use for continuing negotiations," Amr Moussa told a press conference, saying this was the opinion of the Arabs and Abbas. "Negotiating with occupation is simply a waste of time."
Clinton held talks in Jordan with King Abdullah after her meeting with Abbas on Thursday, wrapping up the round of negotiations that began in Egypt on Tuesday.
"Today, His Majesty and I discussed ongoing negotiations and I expressed my confidence that Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas can make the difficult decisions necessary to resolve all of the core issues within one year," she told a news conference in Amman.
Those issues include the borders of a Palestinians state and the future of settlements, Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.
In a separate interview with ABC News in Jerusalem, Clinton said that hard work was under way "to make sure there remains a conducive atmosphere to constructive talks."
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were due to meet next week and set a new date for leaders to convene.
In a statement, Netanyahu's bureau said he was standing by his position not to extend the moratorium. He has said, however, he intends to limit the scope of future settlement construction.
The settlements are deemed by the World Court to be illegal, a finding disputed by Israel. Palestinians fear the enclaves will deny them a viable and contiguous country.
Meeting in Brussels on Thursday, European leaders issued a statement also calling on Israel to extend the moratorium.
As part of Obama's drive for a wider peace between Israel and the Arab world, U.S mideast envoy Mitchell visited Damascus on Thursday and plans to visit Lebanon to meet leaders there.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told Israel's Channel 1 TV that he had raised the idea with Netanyahu to keep the moratorium in place for another three months, hoping to buy time for negotiators to agree on the borders of a Palestinian state.
But officials close to the talks said Netanyahu had rejected that proposal.
Officials close to the talks also said the United States, which launched the face-to-face negotiations in Washington on Sept. 2 after a 20-month hiatus, had made a similar proposal. U.S. officials declined to comment
http://bit.ly/aeAEkQ
Report: U.S. suggests 3-month extension to settlement freeze
Asharq Al Awsat: Abbas has agreed to American proposal, 10 days before settlement freeze set to expire; PMO: Netnyahu's position hasn't changed.
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has suggested that Israel extend the current moratorium on construction in West Bank settlements by an additional three months, in order resolve the disagreement surrounding the issue in recently relaunched direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the London-based Arabic language newspaper Asharq Al Awsat reported on Thursday.
In November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a 10-month freeze on construction in West Bank settlements, which is set to expire in 10 days. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Palestinian negotiators have announced repeatedly that if Israel resumes construction on territory they envision as part of the future Palestinian state, talks would immediately break down.
According to Asharq Al Awsat, Abbas has agreed to the U.S. suggestion, but Netanyahu has yet to respond.
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement later Thursday morning, saying that "we don't comment on the content of negotiations. The position of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the time period allotted in advance for the West Bank settlement freeze is well known, and hasn't changed."
Palestinian sources said Thursday that during their meeting in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Netanyahu told Abbas that Israel would resume construction in the settlements at the end of the month. Abbas reportedly replied that in that case, the Palestinians will have to withdraw from peace negotiations.
U.S. envoy George Mitchell, however, said Wednesday that the peace talks were being conducted more seriously and faster than the ones he brokered in Northern Ireland in the 1990s.
Mitchell particularly noted progress regarding the construction freeze in the West Bank settlements. Associates close to Netanyahu echoed the Palestinian claim that Netanyahu had stressed during the meeting that the moratorium would not be extended.
http://bit.ly/dcr7Jx
7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 17 sept 2010
AL chief: Direct talks waste of time
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa says direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are pointless without a Tel Aviv settlement freeze.
"If settlement construction does not stop, then there is no use for continuing negotiations," he told reporters on Thursday.
"Negotiating with occupation is simply a waste of time," he added.
His remarks came after a second round of talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday and Wednesday, during which they failed to reach an agreement.
The Palestinian side says Tel Aviv should halt settlement activities in the occupied territories, but Israel insists on the illegal move.
On Thursday, Israel also rebuffed a call by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to extend the partial settlement freeze deadline, which expires on September 26.
"Where we sit now it would be useful for some extension, it would be extremely useful," Clinton said.
The European Union also released a statement, saying that the settlements are "illegal under international law" and calling for an "extension of the moratorium decided by Israel."
However, Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the premier was standing by his position not to extend the moratorium.
During the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the Golan Heights in Syria, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, and the Gaza Strip.
Israel's return to the borders of 1967, the final status of the Israeli-occupied East al-Quds which Palestinians demand as the capital of their future state and the fate of Palestinian refugees rendered homeless by Israeli occupation are among the main obstacles in the way to peace.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/142794.html
Arab League refuses to recognize Israel as Jewish state
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo on Thursday decided to reject a demand made by Israel, asking Palestinian negotiators recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the Arab League supported President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Palestinian negotiators have recognized Israel's right to exist, but not as a Jewish state, which officials say would prejudice the right of return for refugees and violate the rights of Israel's non-Jewish residents.
Following the meeting of the Arab League, Secretary General Amr Moussa said Israeli-Palestinian peace talks could not continue if Israel did not stop building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Palestinian negotiators have said they would walk out of talks if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not extend a ban restricting settlement construction, due to expire later at the end of September.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315642
Gov't rejects extended freeze, despite heavy pressure
PA official tells Post he has no explanation for US optimism; Mubarak: I told PM not to restart building, but he said he had no choice.
Despite considerable pressure from both the US and Egypt to continue the settlement construction moratorium for another three months, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's senior ministers, a forum known as the septet, decided this week not to extend the freeze.
Since a cabinet decision was needed to put the freeze into effect last November, another cabinet decision would be needed to extend it, and the septet decided, before Netanyahu's meeting in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, not to ask for an extension.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak reportedly was in favor of an American compromise to extend the moratorium for three months in order to come to an agreement with the Palestinian Authority on final borders, so that it would then be clear where Israel would, and would not, be able to build.
Clinton, however, reiterated in a Channel 10 interview that the US still wanted to see the moratorium extended, although she said she understood Netanyahu's argument that the PA did not take advantage of the moratorium in place for the last 9-1/2 months to enter into talks.
The United States believes that we need to establish an environment that is conducive to negotiations,Clinton said when asked about the moratorium.
She reiterated that both she and US President Barack Obama felt that doing something about the moratorium would be an important decision by Israel, and that this would be in the interest of the negotiations.
Clinton said that if we are going to have an agreement about territory, and we are going to have a democratic, secure Jewish state in Israel and an independent, sovereign viable state for the Palestinians, everyone knows that settlements are going to have to be discussed. There are differences in their location and their numbers, but it is something that can't be put under the rug, it has to be confronted.
Regarding whether she supported Netanyahu's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, she said that at her meeting on Wednesday with President Shimon Peres, he reminded me that Yasser Arafat had said, Of course it will be a Jewish state.These are the kinds of discussion that have to be done only at the leader level.
The Prime Minister's Office, meanwhile, responded to reports in the Arab press that Netanyahu was considering a three-month extension by saying the prime minister's position in relation to the time allocated for a moratorium on new construction in Judea and Samaria is known, and there has been no change.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, meanwhile, said in a Channel 1 interview that he had urged Netanyahu to extend the moratorium by a few months so as to give the peace talks a chance.
I told him [Netanyahu] to extend the freeze for at least three or four months during the talks. I told him that this would help achieve satisfactory results, the Egyptian leader said.
Mubarak quoted Netanyahu as saying that he wasn't able to extend the freeze because of opposition from his coalition partners.
I told Netanyahu to forget about all those who are hesitant and skeptical and to continue with the settlement freeze for a few more months at least, Mubarak said.
Mubarak said that he also made it clear during his meeting with Netanyahu earlier this week in Sharm e-Sheikh that extending the freeze was a small price compared with the potentially bloody repercussions of failing to do so.
The Egyptian president expressed hope that the extension would allow Israel and the Palestinians to reach agreement within a few months.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday reiterated his opposition to the resumption of construction in the settlements and expressed his desire to continue with the peace talks with Israel, a spokesman for Abbas said.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=188451
Barak may use legal loopholes to impose de facto settlement freeze [/b]
As Netanyahu evades U.S. pressure to halt construction, defense minister seeks alternative restrictions.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak held initial discussions with defense officials this week about the approaching end of the building freeze in the West Bank. He is trying to find ways to restrict settlement construction by the Defense Ministry, which is the de facto authority in the West Bank, without issuing a new order to suspend construction when the moratorium ends on September 26.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday urged Israel to extend the freeze. She told Channel 10 this would be "extremely useful" for making progress in negotiations with the Palestinians.
A senior official familiar with the debate on the construction freeze said new building in the West Bank could be delayed through legal measures for a long time. The ministry is also examining legal steps it can take to delay the construction of 2,000 housing units that had been approved before the construction freeze went into place.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at his meetings this week with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he would not extend the moratorium on construction. The official said that, instead of a new suspension order, which would require the approval of both the cabinet and the forum of seven ministers, Israel could reach quiet understandings with the Americans on limiting the construction for several months.
It is expected that such understandings would enable the Americans to persuade the Palestinian Authority not to quit the negotiations, the official said.
Barak is due to leave Saturday night for Washington, where he will meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Advisor General James Jones. He is also scheduled to meet with Clinton.
Clinton, who left for Jordan after meeting with Abbas yesterday in Ramallah, spoke at an appearance with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, where she praised the Arab peace initiative as an excellent document.
She said she was not sure many Arabs or Israelis had actually read the Arab peace plan, which was adopted by the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002, explaining that the plan "holds out the very promise we seek."
The initiative proposes a recognition of Israel on the part of all Arab states if it pulls out of the territories it seized in 1967, including East Jerusalem.
Clinton, who met Abbas in the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah, yesterday also suggested extending the partial freeze for even a limited amount of time.
"Where we sit now it would be useful for some extension, it would be extremely useful," Clinton said in the interview. "I don't think a limited extension would undermine the process going forward if there were a decision agreed to by both parties." Clinton added that the United States believes it is necessary to create a good "atmosphere" for the renewed talks and that, like Netanyahu, she regretted that negotiations had not begun sooner.
In a separate interview with ABC's Christiane Amanpour in Jerusalem, Clinton said hard work was under way "to make sure there remains a conducive atmosphere to constructive talks."
Clinton held talks in Jordan yesterday with King Abdullah, wrapping up the round of negotiations that began in Egypt on Tuesday.
http://bit.ly/crYFSF
Israeli PM rebuffs settlement freeze
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again rejected calls to extend a partial freeze on settlement activities in the occupied territories.
"The prime minister has not changed his position on this issue, there is no question of extending the moratorium," an unnamed Israeli official told AFP on Friday.
Last week, US President Barack Obama said it would make sense for Tel Aviv to extend the 10-month moratorium during its direct talks with the Palestinian Authority.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Tel Aviv on Thursday to extend the deadline, which expires at the end of this month.
"Where we sit now it would be useful for some extension, it would be extremely useful," Clinton said.
Meanwhile, the European Union said that the settlements are "illegal under international law" and called for an "extension of the moratorium decided by Israel."
Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to leave the negotiations if Israel resumes its settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
According to Palestinians, Israel's insistence of the continuation of settlement projects would be a major obstacle to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/142828.html
Palestinians: No breakthrough on settlement issue
Palestinian sources told Ynet after that no breakthrough has been made on the issue of settlement construction during Wednesday's meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
The Palestinians told Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the resumption of settlement construction would make it difficult for them to continue negotiating with Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3955014,00.html
IOA starts building bridge leading to Aqsa Mosque
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM,- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has started construction works near the Magharba Gate of the Aqsa Mosque to build a bridge leading easily to the heart of the Mosque, the Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage disclosed.
The foundation, which caters for Muslim holy shrines in occupied Palestine, issued a statement on Thursday saying that the construction works came few days after an Israeli court approved the construction of the bridge that connects between the Buraq plaza and the Magharba Gate to make it easy for the IOF troops and armed settlers to storm the Mosque any time they wish.
The foundation added that a team of it was dispatched to the site and witnessed Israeli workers cleaning and clearing the area of the excavations the IOA carried out near the gate recently.
In this regard, the foundation warned that the Israeli schemes against the Aqsa Mosque would entail adverse repercussions on the Mosque that none could anticipate, urging Muslims across the world to stand up against the Israeli schemes to Judaize the Mosque.
http://bit.ly/aiqnRU 7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 18 sept 2010
Lieberman: Palestinians use settlement freeze as an excuse to undermine peace talks
Foreign Minister tells British counterpart that there is no chance Israel will extend moratorium on construction in West Bank settlements beyond Sept. 26 expiration date.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told his British counterpart William Hague over the weekend that Israel could not possibly extend the moratorium on construction in West Bank settlements beyond the agreed upon September 26 deadline.
Last November, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a 10-month freeze on construction in West Bank settlements, in efforts to jumpstart stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. Palestinian negotiators have repeatedly stressed that they would not negotiate with Israel as long as Israeli construction on land they envision for a future state continued.
Lieberman told Hague that "the Palestinians wasted nine months, and even in the tenth month they did not come to the talks out of goodwill to reach an agreement, but because they were forced to," referring to the relaunch of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on September 2.
"The settlement freeze is just a Palestinian excuse to undermine peace talks, and anyone who seeks excuses will find another excuse even if the freeze is extended," Lieberman told the British foreign secretary.
"Israel's government offered extensive goodwill gestures over the last year, and it is now the Palestinians' turn," Lieberman went on to say. "Israel would be happy to continue on the track of direct peace negotiations without preconditions, including no conditions regarding the future of the settlement construction freeze."
Lieberman was responding to recent declarations by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other key Palestinian officials who have said that they would abandon peace talks with Israel if the construction resumes.
The foreign minister also said that the international community must understand that Israel needs to be given incentives, not just to be pressured, to achieve peace. He also mentioned that Israel has been waiting for quite some time to upgrade its diplomatic ties with the European Union.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak called a meeting this week as the settlement building freeze order nears its end in two weeks' time. The purpose of the meeting was for the Defense Ministry to find ways to restrict building regardless of a freeze order, since it is the sovereign power in the West Bank.
According to a senior source who is privy to details of the Defense Ministry discussions on building restrictions, there are a number of legal means that can be utilized to restrict new construction for a lengthy period.
Other legal tools are also being considered to delay the building of 2,000 housing units that received all the requisite permits before the construction freeze took effect, the source said.
http://bit.ly/amAgmn
Carter in new book: Obama turned back on settlement freeze
The former U.S. president also criticizes Bill Clinton, writing that Israeli settlement building in the West Bank was especially rapid under his administration.
In his new book, former United States president Jimmy Carter criticizes President Barack Obama over his policy on Israel's settlement freeze, writing that the President has backed away from his initial commitment to a complete halt to building in West Bank settlements.
The Associated Press purchased a copy of Carter's book, White House Diary, on Friday, ahead of its release Monday.
Carter also criticizes fellow Democrat and former president Bill Clinton over his policy on Israel settlement expansion, writing that settlement building was especially rapid during Clinton's administration.
This past week, the newspaper Asharq Al Awsat reported that the Obama administration has suggested Israel extend the current moratorium on construction in West Bank settlements, which is set to expire on September 26, for an additional three months.
The expiration date for the settlement freeze has loomed over the recently re-launched direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinians have threatened to walk away from the talks if the freeze is not extended.
On Thursday, the European Union called on Israel to extend the settlement freeze in light of the peace talks which began this month.
"The European Union deems it indispensable that both parties observe calm and restraint and refrain from actions that could affect negatively the progress of the negotiation," the group stated following a meeting in Brussels. "In this regard, it recalls that settlements are illegal under international law and, with a view to ensure that these talks continue in a constructive manner, calls for an extension of the moratorium decided by Israel."
The former president's views on Israel have caused controversy in the past, such as when he likened Israeli policy in the West Bank to apartheid South Africa in his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid".
http://bit.ly/cU4f9b
Zahhar: Fatah not aware of the gravity of its settlement talks with Israel
GAZA, (PIC)-- Member of Hamas's political bureau Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said that Fatah faction and its Arab allies do not realize the seriousness of the settlement process to very sensitive issues in the conflict with the Israeli occupation such as the holy city, water, security and the geographical connection between West Bank lands.
In a statement to France channel on Friday, Dr. Zahhar stated that Israel clearly wants to devour and Judaize as much of the Palestinian land as it could in order to impose a fait accompli in case any settlement agreement was reached with the Palestinians in the future.
The Hamas official also highlighted that the security cooperation between Fatah and Salam Fayyad on one side and the Israeli occupation state on the other side led to the killing and kidnapping of many Palestinian resistance fighters, officials, and members of Palestinian factions.
He noted that such security collaboration took place in the past in the Gaza Strip and made Fatah appear as a traitor and thus lose the last legislative elections.
The official stressed the importance of resisting the occupation when he was asked about what could be done after the constant talks between the Palestinians and Israel proved failure many times before, saying that the solution is to do what the French people did when their land was occupied by the Nazis and what other occupied peoples did and do for their freedom.
In another context, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that the talks about the Israeli decision to let Fatah's authority to take over Karm Abu Salem crossing is another step to tighten the blockade on Gaza, warning this step would weaken the international solidarity with Gaza.
Spokesman Barhoum added that this step reflects the strong relationship between Fatah's authority and Israel and reveals Israeli plans to enable Fatah to control Gaza once again.
http://bit.ly/blgB1P
Germany to Israel: Extend freeze
Germany has urged Israel to extend its partial moratorium on settlement activities to avoid endangering direct talks with the Palestinian Authority.
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told the German parliament that everything possible had to be done to avoid endangering the Middle East talks, dpa reported.
He noted that a freeze on settlement projects in the occupied Palestinian territories is one step for the continuation of the negotiations.
Meanwhile, the European Union called for an "extension of the moratorium decided by Israel," saying that the settlements are "illegal under international law."
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday rejected the extension of the project, which expires at the end of this month.
Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to leave the talks if Israel resumes its settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
According to the Palestinians, Israel's insistence on the continuation of the settlement projects would be a major obstacle towards the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/142920.html
IOA isolates Jerusalem suburbs from holy city
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) started to build new huge cement blocks on the entrance to Ras Khamis suburb and Shufaat refugee camp in central occupied Jerusalem in preparation for isolating them completely from the holy city.
Inhabitants told the PIC reporter that the IOA intends to open a military crossing point to replace the current barricade separating their suburbs from central Jerusalem.
IOA bulldozers started working at the site a few months ago after seizing large areas of Palestinian land.
The new crossing and cement blocks would isolate thousands of Jerusalemites from the city's center in line with the IOA scheme to evacuate the holy city of its indigenous Palestinian population.
http://bit.ly/bIRnTY 7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 19 sept 2010
Official: Israel to cut off East Jerusalem villages
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israel began construction on Wednesday to separate Palestinian neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem from the rest of the city, a local committee leader said.
Head of the anti-settlement committee in the Shu'fat refugee camp Khader Salamah said Israeli authorities had erected 9- 12-meter concrete blocks around the military checkpoint at the camp's entrance, isolating Ras Al-Khamis, neighboring the camp.
The construction would increase the suffering of the 15,000 residents of the camp, particularly elderly or sick residents and schoolchildren, Salamah said.
Israel's planned construction extended to the Dahiyet As-Salam, Ras Shahadah and Anata villages, which when completed would affect the daily life of around 40,000 residents, Salamah said, adding that residents had instructed a lawyer, Dani Zaidman, to begin legal proceedings against Israeli authorities who had confiscated lands without notifying Palestinian owners.
The local committee was preparing to notify President Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO negotiations department of the consequences of Israel's plan to isolate Palestinian neighborhoods. Israeli authorities were also at the final stages of constructing a new checkpoint at the entrance to Shu'fat refugee camp similar to the main checkpoints in the separation wall at Qalandiya and Hizma, Salamah said.
During the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur on Friday and Saturday, Israeli forces set up cement road blocks at the entrances to several suburbs of Jerusalem, including Al-Isawiya, northeast of Jerusalem and Sur Bahir in the south.
Fierce clashes had erupted on Thursday at Al-Isawiya, during which nine Palestinians were injured, including a paramedic, and six Palestinians were detained, medic Mohammad E'Beid said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=316082
(3:48) Israeli foreign minister wants to eject Israeli-Arabs from Israel.flv 7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 19 sept 2010
Netanyahu: No change in stance on West Bank freeze
PM says he's committed to security, vows to ensure situation won't lead to missiles being fired at civilians like in Gaza, Lebanon withdrawals.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday that there has been no change in his stance regarding construction in West Bank settlements.
Speaking to Likud ministers, the prime minister said that he could "not go into details" about recently relaunched peace talks with the Palestinians, "due to the sensitivity of the matter." "Regarding the freeze, there has been no change in our position," Netanyahu said.
He stressed his commitment to Israel's security needs, and vowed to ensure that "we don't end up with missiles being fired at Israeli civilians, like what happened after we left Lebanon and Gaza."
In the past days, Netanyahu's staff has displayed a similar stance. "We are not changing the substance of negotiations. The position of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu regarding the duration that was implemented in advance on the suspension of new construction in Judea and Samaria is known and has not been changed," the PMO said on Thursday.
Over the weekend, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman spoke with his British counterpart William Hague and stated that Israel cannot continue the 10-month, West Bank construction freeze, scheduled to end on September 26.
"The Palestinians wasted nine months and in the tenth month of the freeze they didn't come to the peace talks out of good will to reach a peace agreement, but rather because they were forced to do so," Lieberman told Hague. "Those looking for excuses to derail the talks will find them whether or not the freeze continues. We've done our part and now it's the Palestinians' turn. Israel will speak with the Palestinians, but without preconditions."
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=188545
Lieberman: "Settlement freeze" will not be renewed in late September
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel will continue to build settlements on Palestinian lands after the partial settlement freeze's set date of expiry in late September.
Despite Israel's decision in an apparent step to undermine peace, Palestine's de facto president Mahmoud Abbas has not pulled out of peace talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli radio reported that Lieberman said in a phone conversation Saturday with his British counterpart William Haig that the Palestinians wasted nine months of the ten-month settlement freeze before going into direct negotiations under pressure and not by goodwill.
Lieberman claimed that Israel has made enough goodwill gestures, saying it is now the Palestinians turn to make gestures of their own.
Lieberman called on the British Foreign Minister and the international community to provide incentives for Israel and not to pressure it, noting that Israel has been long waiting for developing its ties with the European Union.
http://bit.ly/avZI3H
Israel's FM rejects freeze extension
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has rejected international calls for extending Tel Aviv's partial settlement freeze in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli official told his British counterpart William Hague on Saturday that Israel would not extend the moratorium in the West Bank.
"Israel has made numerous gestures over the past year, and now it's the Palestinians' turn. Israel will gladly continue negotiating without preconditions, including those related to the moratorium," Lieberman said.
His remarks came after the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States have all called on Israel to extend the freeze to help the continuation of talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Last November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 10-month freeze on illegal settlement expansion projects, which will expire late September.
Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has warned that he would leave the negotiations if Israel continues its settlement activities in the occupied territories.
The Israeli foreign minister claimed that the freeze was merely an "excuse" for the PA to thwart the talks.
"Those who look for excuses will find them even if the freeze is extended," Lieberman went on to say.
The latest round of direct talks between Abbas and Netanyahu held in Washington, Egypt, and al-Quds (Jerusalem) ended with no progress earlier this week.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/143041.html 7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 20 sept 2010
Ynet: 2,000 settlement units to be built after freeze ends this month
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, - Israeli settlers expect the government will stick to its decision to allow free building for settlers throughout the entire West Bank after the Israeli settlement freeze ends this month, the Israeli Ynet newspaper reported Wednesday.
The paper posted a report about settlement activity in the West Bank after the scheduled expiry date of the partial and temporary settlement freeze at the end of this month. It said it is expected that hundreds of housing units will immediately begin to be erected at the freeze’s end.
Settlement heads confirmed that rumors that 2,000 units have been permitted to be built are true, but the actual process will take time.
It is not expected that bulldozers will plow the West Bank on Sept. 27 to erect thousands of housing units, but what is expected is that building will start for hundreds of houses in the following months, the report added.
20 per cent of the 2,000 planned units will be in the smaller, isolated settlements, while the majority will be concentrated in the settlement blocs, the report provided.
Settlement council head Danny Dayan said most of the building will be concentrated in larger settlements under large projects still awaiting approval.
The matter is up to the government and commitments it makes to the United States, Dayan said, adding that if local authorities grant more lands to settlements built on the West Bank, the number of expected units approved to be built will rise to 3,000 before the end of 2010.
Dayan, who has called the settlement freeze a serious violation against human rights, said he expects the Israeli government to keep its position to return to building on a massive scale throughout the entire West Bank.
Theoretically, it’s possible that the settlement freeze could be extended, he added, but the political reality would not allow that.
http://bit.ly/aFYFAU
(1:49) israel Readies To Construct 2700 Units For Settlers In the West Bank
Barak shrugs off freeze issue
Barak with Jones
Israel, Palestinians have more dramatic decisions to make, Barak tells Gen. Jim Jones in Washington.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with National Security Adviser General Jim Jones in Washington Monday, and discussed with him the peace negotiations with the Palestinians as well as the possible renewal of construction in West Bank settlements.
Barak told his host that "the decisions that lie before Israel and the Palestinians are important ones, far more dramatic than the continuation of construction in Judea and Samaria".
Barak's office said Jones stressed the importance of achieving a permanent settlement with the Palestinians following the "recent attacks carried out by terror agents" trying to prevent a peace agreement.
The defense minister also met with additional White House officials and discussed with them the transfer of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah. He expressed concern over a recent arms deal between Russia and Syria, and especially the possibility that the missiles acquired by the latter could reach Hezbollah.
He asked Jones to support additional sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. "Iran continues to deceive the world community and continues to move forward with its military nuclear program despite sanctions. There is no doubt that the sanctions are hurting Iran, but Iran continues to play for time," Barak said. "I reiterate that for Israel, all options must remain on the table.
Meanwhile, not far away, President Shimon Peres was speaking at the UN General Assembly, a speech during which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was seen walking out of.
"The other day, the formal leader of Iran called to annihilate Israel and wipe it off the map of the Middle East," Peres said. "I believe that the Middle East has room for every person, every nation, and every religion."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3957818,00.html
Abbas won't negotiate 'for single day' if freeze ends
Speaking en route to New York, Palestinian president stresses he is 'not opposed to settlement freeze for a month or two,' believes it is possible 'to conclude a peace deal on all final status issues if the settlement freeze is extended',
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday he would not take part in US-backed peace talks "for a single day" if Israel does not extend a freeze on settlement building at the month's end.
"The negotiations will continue as long as the settlement (construction) remains frozen, but I am not prepared to negotiate an agreement for a single day more," Abbas told AFP.
Abbas is to give a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York this week about "efforts to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land since 1967 to create an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
Israel and the Palestinians began long-awaited peace negotiations under US mediation on September 2.
But so far Israel has stubbornly refused to extend the partial 10-month ban on new construction, and the Palestinians have vowed to pull out of the talks if building resumes.
Speaking en route to New York on Monday, Abbas stressed he was "not opposed to a settlement freeze for a month or two" and that it was possible "to conclude a peace deal on all final status issues if the settlement freeze is extended."
"If Israel stops the settlement and shows goodwill, then we can reach an agreement on borders and security, and agreement on other matters like the status of Jerusalem, water and settlements will follow" in due course, he told AFP.
The Palestinian leader's comments came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers the settlement moratorium will end as planned.
"Last week, I held political talks in (the Red Sea resort of) Sharm el-Sheikh and Jerusalem. I can't give any detail about the content of the talks because of its sensitivity. What I can say is that regarding the freeze, there has been no change in our position," Netanyahu said.
September 26 deadline
The two rounds of talks, which brought together Abbas, Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, failed to break the impasse.
Palestinian officials said on Sunday that efforts were under way to arrange a meeting between Abbas and US President Barack Obama.
Speaking to AFP on Monday, Abbas reiterated the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails should be resolved within the framework of any agreement.
Netanyahu's office said he has no plans to head to the United States this week, but President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are already there, with Peres due to address the UN summit, and Barak holding talks with US officials.
The deadline for the end of Israel's freeze on settlement construction is widely accepted as September 26, exactly 10 months and a day after the original cabinet decision.
But the Israeli military order regarding the moratorium states it will only close at midnight on September 30.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3957390,00.html 7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 22 sept 2010
Abbas hints at settlement compromise
'Very difficult.' Abbas
PA leader tells New York Jews he 'cannot say' definitively that he would walk away from talks if West Bank construction resumes.
The Palestinian president is leaving the door open to continuing peace negotiations with Israel - even if the Jewish state resumes settlement construction in the West Bank.
Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly threatened to walk away from newly relaunched talks if Israel begins building in the settlements after a 10-month moratorium expires on Sunday.
Israel has said the slowdown will not be extended.
Abbas told American Jewish leaders in New York late Tuesday it would be "very difficult" to continue the talks if building resumes but added that he "cannot say" definitively that he would walk away.
His comments appear to soften his previous ultimatum to do so, offering a glimmer of hope that a compromise will be reached.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3958571,00.html
7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 24 sept 2010
Last call for the freeze / The desperate have nothing to lose
IDF Chief says he does not expect a wave of violence if the talks fail because expectations are low; the Palestinians are pessimistic.
Sunday is going to be one of those days about which people will say in the future: "Too bad we didn't act differently." But millions of Israelis will get up in the morning as if it's an ordinary day. And they call Time Magazine is anti-Israeli because it said Israelis don't care about peace with their neighbors.
The Palestinians are being told that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not have the political strength to continue the moratorium on construction in the settlements, and they have to be considerate. The occupier expects understanding from the occupied.
The Palestinian Authority might wonder: If Netanyahu cannot extend the freeze for three months, how will he be able to decide on borders and Jerusalem? But no doubt, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas heard persuasive and encouraging things from President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak in New York.
Furthermore, the Palestinians are being told that we agreed on no preconditions, so what is this thing you call a construction freeze?
As if the occupation itself, which the settlements are intended to make as permanent as headless nails, is not the greatest precondition of them all. Either agree to our demands, or 43 years of occupation will become 1,000 more. And let's say Abbas bows to the heavy pressure and does not immediately bolt the talks if the freeze is lifted. They will continue for appearance's sake, but the Palestinian negotiator will sit on an even lower chair, weakened and humiliated. His rivals already are accusing him of surrender, and this will be the proof.
This is the last call for the freeze, a moment before terror returns. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi says he does not expect a wave of violence if the talks fail because expectations are low; the Palestinians are pessimistic. But pessimism is the mother of all desperation, and the desperate have nothing to lose.
http://bit.ly/8ZJVgE
Obama tells UN a Palestinian state could rise within a year
NEW YORK - U.S. President Barack Obama urged Israel yesterday to extend its construction freeze in the West Bank settlements and expressed hopes that there would be a new member of the United Nations next year - an independent state of Palestine.
Obama's speech at the UN General Assembly drew fire from right-wing Knesset members, who called it unacceptable intervention in a decision by the Israeli government.
"The conflict between Israelis and Arabs is as old as this institution," Obama told the General Assembly. "And we can come back here next year, as we have for the last 60 years, and make long speeches about it. We can read familiar lists of grievances. We can table the same resolutions. We can further empower the forces of rejectionism and hate. And we can waste more time by carrying forward an argument that will not help a single Israeli or Palestinian child achieve a better life. We can do that.
"Or, we can say that this time will be different - that this time we will not let terror, or turbulence, or posturing, or petty politics stand in the way. This time, we will think not of ourselves, but of the young girl in Gaza who wants to have no ceiling on her dreams, or the young boy in Sderot who wants to sleep without the nightmare of rocket fire."
Obama told the General Assembly: "Those of us who are friends of Israel must understand that true security for the Jewish state requires an independent Palestine - one that allows the Palestinian people to live with dignity and opportunity. And those of us who are friends of the Palestinians must understand that the rights of the Palestinian people will be won only through peaceful means - including genuine reconciliation with a secure Israel."
Obama also touched on Iran, saying that the diplomatic door was open if the Islamic Republic chose to enter, but warned that Iran had to demonstrate to the world the peaceful intentions of its nuclear program.
Due to the Sukkot holiday, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations and other senior Israeli officials were absent from the session hall.
Back in Israel, MKs Zeev Elkin (Likud ) and Aryeh Eldad (National Union ) said Obama's call was "unacceptable and an attempt to force a change in [an Israeli] decision. The Americans have to respect the democratic decision of the Israeli people who voted to strengthen settlements in Judea and Samaria and against concessions and withdrawals. The vast majority of MKs reject American pressure and support renewed construction throughout Judea and Samaria."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who also addressed the General Assembly, said the U.S. government orchestrated the September 11 attacks to save the "Zionist regime." The delegations of the United States and several European countries left shortly after Ahmadinejad made these remarks.
Ahmadinejad also criticized Israel for "contributing to the proliferation of nuclear weapons" and for "imposing five wars" on neighboring countries.
On Wednesday, Ahmadinejad attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a "skilled killer" in an interview with CNN's Larry King. " - for putting Gaza under siege," Ahmadinejad said. "He should be put on trial for killing women and children."
http://bit.ly/csuaZk
Settlement construction to be resumed, limited
Washington leading efforts for creative compromise which would allow peace talks to continue despite renewed building in West Bank.
Only two days are left before the end of a 10-month moratorium on new settlement construction in the West Bank, and the Israelis and Palestinians have yet to reach a compromise which would allow the peace talks to continue.
The American administration is leading hectic efforts to come up with a creative solution, as representatives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas continue the talks in Washington. US President Barack Obama on Thursday called on Israel once again to continue the building freeze.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has discussed the issue with foreign leaders in the past few days and has extended the stay of his special emissary to the negotiations, Attorney Yitzhak Molcho, in Washington.
The leaders Netanyahu spoke to include US Vice President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Israeli sources, referring to the American bridging efforts in terms of the settlement freeze issue, clarified Thursday that "a solution has yet to be found which does not deviate from the Israeli government's known policy on this matter."
Palestinian President Abbas hinted Tuesday during talks with Jewish leaders in New York that he would not quit the talks if the settlement construction was resumed. Palestinian Authority officials have said in recent days that they would have to accept a resumption of the construction, and perhaps even a statement from Netanyahu about the end of the freeze.
Meanwhile, the negotiation teams headed by Molcho and Saeb Erekat are attempting to come up with a formula which would prevent a political embarrassment for both sides. One of the options discussed is limited construction in the large settlement blocs only, without a public announcement.
Another option is that Israel will not declare that it is resuming construction, but will not be forced to announce that the freeze will continue either.
"The facts on the ground will prove that there is no serious construction and it will focus on the large blocs," a Palestinian source told Ynet.
Hamas: Abbas selling Palestinians
Officials in Ramallah have confirmed that the American efforts and the administration's desire for a peace process are much stronger than the Palestinians' intention to quit the talks on the backdrop of Netanyahu's refusal to continue the freeze.
"The Americans have clarified that the negotiations must continue under any condition, and this is the reason they weren't halted following the attacks, the killing of a senior Hamas man in Tulkarem, the events in Jerusalem or the strikes in Gaza," one of the sources said.
Will Kedumim resume construction
The opposition to Abbas is expected to speak out in light of this situation. The different organizations comprising the Palestinian Liberation Organization are demanding that the PA quit the talks. Hamas claims that Abbas has proved he plans to sell the Palestinian interest with a declaration that the negotiations will continue even if the building freeze ends.
Netanyahu, on his part, is sticking to the line he has been leading in recent weeks. "Unfortunately, the Palestinians wasted the unprecedented gesture of the freeze, and entered the talks only three weeks ago following American pressure," he said Thursday.
"If the Palestinians want peace, they will stay in the talks with us in order to reach a framework agreement within a year. They held peace talks with the different Israeli government for 17 years while Israel was building in Judea and Samaria, including in the last year of the Olmert government."
The Prime Minister's Office is satisfied with the support for Netanyahu's approach among members of the American Senate, after 52 senators signed a petition backing the Israeli stance that the Palestinians must remain in the negotiations regardless of the settlement freeze dispute.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian prime minister called on Israel to ease restrictions on the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a goodwill gesture on the backdrop of the negotiations.
"Part of what should happen soon, if not ending the occupation itself, is showing signs that it is about to end," Salam Fayyad said Thursday during a speech in Washington.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3959225,00.html
Abdullah: If freeze issue not settled, war may follow
Jordan's King: "If we fail on the 30th [of September], expect another war by the end of the year. And more wars in the region over the coming years."
Jordan's King Abdullah warned Thursday that if the issue of the building moratorium in West Bank settlements was not solved a regional war could break out by the end of the year. King Abdullah's comments came in an interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.
"If we fail on the 30th [of September], expect another war by the end of the year. And more wars in the region over the coming years," Abdullah said.
Abdullah said he feared that dealing with the settlements rather than focusing on the core issues would doom the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians to failure.
"If the issue of settlements are still at the table on 30th, then everybody walks away. If they do, how are we going to get people back in the near future. I don't see that happening," Abdullah said. "We are at a defining crossroads of whether we are going to go down in the abyss or not."
The Jordanian leader praised Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for their seriousness at trying to arrive at a peace agreement.
He hinted at his displeasure with Iran involving itself in the Middle East peace process, stating that the Palestinian issue had been "hijacked" by some non-Arab elements that were preventing moderate elements from voicing their opinion. He expressed his belief that a resolution to the conflict would end Iran's involvement in the issue.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=189110
Israeli settlement halt not real: Report
An Israeli settlement
A new report by an Israeli body shows that Tel Aviv did not freeze its settlement expansion or even considerably halt it in the occupied Palestinian territories during a self-declared freeze.
The number of homes built during the nearly 10-month halt declined by only about 10 percent, AP reported.
Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics said there were 2,790 settlement units in various stages of construction in the third quarter of 2009, before the restrictions were imposed last November.
The number rose to 2,955 in the last quarter of last year, indicating a last-minute surge of housing starts in the days leading up to the freeze, which ends on Sunday.
In the first quarter of this year, the number stood at 2,517 with the freeze in full effect.
Israeli peace activists say there has been no appreciable decline in the settlement expansion since the declaration of the 10-month moratorium by Tel Aviv.
According to the activists, the situation is largely the same in non-residential construction such as commercial buildings, small factories and schools.
The continued Israeli settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories is one of the main obstacles between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority as they engage in direct talks.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/143770.html
Israeli plan to resume settlement building on Monday
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Jewish settlers in the West Bank are planning to resume settlement building on Monday after the so called ten-month "freeze" on settlement activity comes to an end, according to a Haretz report on Friday.
It is estimated that there are building licences for 2000 to 2200 settlement units in various West Bank settlements, the building of which can start straight away.
There are 120 settlements dotted all over the West Bank, most of which will witness new building activities after the so called freeze.
The paper also said that contractors will start working on Monday morning pointing out that some of the settlement structures are light and cost little and can be lived in for years.
The paper said that the settlers plan to start building before the Prime Minister decides whether or not to extend the freeze.
http://bit.ly/cFepoB
Israel raises possibility of compromise on settlements
Israel on Friday raised the possibility of a compromise just ahead of the scheduled ending of curbs on settlement construction that threatened to derail three-week-old Middle East peace talks.
Just two days before the conclusion of the 10-month partial moratorium on settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, the government indicated it was willing to cut a deal acceptable to the United States and the Palestinians, who both want an extension of the restrictions.
"Israel is prepared to reach a compromise acceptable to all parties to consider extending the freeze on construction, provided that the freeze will not be total," a senior government official said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "making intensive efforts to reach such a compromise before the expiration of the moratorium on September 26," he told AFP, asking not to be named.
This marked a significant shift for Israel which was previously adamant the restrictions would not be renewed even though Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas had threatened to walk out of the peace talks over the issue.
US President Barack Obama on Thursday firmly restated his conviction the moratorium should be extended.
Abbas welcomed Obama's remarks, "especially his call for a halt of the settlement activities and for the creation of a Palestinian state."
"We also welcome the huge efforts exerted by President Obama and his administration to push forward the peace process," he told AFP.
The US administration also said on Thursday it was proposing "ideas" to Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in a bid to break the stalemate over settlements.
"You have stated positions on both sides that are incompatible and we are offering our ideas on how we might see movement on both sides that could allow us to continue to move forward," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
In recent days, Netanyahu has discussed the issue with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders, the Israeli official said.
The Obama administration had already played a key role in getting the two sides back to the negotiating table on September 2 after a 20-month pause in the peace talks.
The previous round of direct negotiations collapsed when Israel launched a devastating military offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip in December 2008.
Abbas and Netanyahu did not appear to have made any progress towards narrowing their differences during talks last week in Egypt and in Jerusalem attended by Clinton.
In a bid to resolve the row, US officials have suggested a three-month extension to the moratorium during which time the two sides could agree on borders, which could neutralise the settlements dispute, a senior Palestinian official said.
The Palestinians and US negotiators want a complete halt to settlements while Israel is insisting on continuing to build in major blocs it hopes to keep in any final peace accord.
Abbas said he was "not opposed to a settlement freeze for a month or two."
"If Israel stops the settlement and shows goodwill, then we can reach an agreement on borders and security, and agreement on other matters like the status of Jerusalem, water and settlements will follow," he told AFP this week.
The United States and the European Union have urged Israel to extend the moratorium.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, to be illegal. The settlement issue has long been among the thorniest in the peace process.
Some 500,000 Israelis live in more than 120 Jewish settlements across the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories expected to form the bulk of a future Palestinian state.
http://yhoo.it/cakSpI
Palestinain-Americans reassured by Abbas
NEW YORK (Ma'an) -- President Mamhmoud Abbas met with Palestinian-Americans from across the 51 states on Thursday, for an hour long meeting where he reasserted his position on a resumption of settlement construction.
"I will say this once in front of you, if they want negotiations, then they will continue with settlement freeze otherwise the negotiations will stop, and we are sorry to waste the opportunity," Abbas told assembled guests.
In Israel, Netanyahu reportedly told colleagues during a series of phone calls seeking to find a solution to the settlement issue, "if the Palestinians want peace, they will stay in the talks with us in order to reach a framework agreement within one year."
Abbas, speaking at the Egyptian Embassy in New York, made clear that he was resolute on the issue, saying "we told the Americans and Israel that we will not continue with the negotiations if the settlements were not frozen on our ground, this is our condition; we had said, it and we are saying it in each bilateral meeting, in each group meeting."
Explaining the pressures he faced, Abbas said that "the Israelis say to us: you negotiated with Olmert while settlements were being built, why won't you talk now. And I say to them, that is in the past, and we have never stopped demanding a settlement halt. Enough is enough."
Laying out his negotiations position, the president explained that he was negotiating for a Palestinain state based on the 1967 borders. "We do not mind land swaps of similar value in some instances," he said, adding that the prospect of international forces from NATO or similar to the UNIFIL force operating in southern Lebanon was agreeable to officials.
The forces, he added, must simply not be Israeli, or even include one single Israeli whether from the civilian population or the military.
"East Jerusalem is ours and West Jerusalem is theirs. The city can and should be open to all religions, but it must first be clear that this is our capital."
Asked what would be done if talks failed, Abbas said it was not his decision to make. "The PLO leadership, the National Council, Fatah and leaders of other factions would have to decide what to do," he said.
Addressing Palestinain-Americans
The Palestinain president addressed more than 100 Palestinians from as far west as California, telling a large contingent from Chicago that he was sorry he could not travel to meet them following an invitation to speak in Illinois. "You must please pardon me, I%u2019m an elderly man, I can't travel all of these distances,"
He promised, however, that "the Palestinian leadership will work on that," he understood "why you all came from such faraway places to attend this meeting; we must continue these forums so we can exchange ideas, consult, check on your situations and give you valued news of your homeland."
Abbas then gave a sweeping update on negotiations from George Bush senior to the present day. He said Palestinian officials had hoped for an even larger Arab presence at the opening round of talks in Washington, but added that in the end the United States had decided on the guest list.
Unity
Fatah continues to support the Egyptian unity document, Abbas said, commenting on recent visits by party officials to Lebanon and Syria for visits with top level Hamas leaders.
"The PA had agreed on it to restore unity," he said of the document, adding that "we formed a national unity government with Hamas and did not care that the world laid siege to us on that account.
"They say the Abbas is under American pressure, but I ratified the Egyptian proposal and I had formed with Hamas a unity government. I transfer $121 million - 58 percent of the PA budget - monthly to Gaza even after the coup, but Hamas does not care and does not understand that 96 percent of the water in Gaza is polluted, that economic life has been destroyed, and they ave made the people there live off goods smuggled in through tunnels."
When Hamas decides to ratify the unity agreement, Abbas said he would immediately form a unity government. The first mission of that government would be bringing in some $4 billion dollars in aid pledged to rebuild Gaza after former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert launched the 2008-9 war on the coastal enclave.
The second mandate of the unity government would be to go immediately to presidential and parliamentary elections. "My term is over, their term is over; elections must be held if we are to be honest."
Abbas said that in comparison with Gaza, the West Bank was flourishing. "I do not claim that there is full growth, but the conditions are different, life is improving, there are theaters, restaurants, faces open until dawn because people feel safe. We do not lack independence, we are building the foundations of a state that will be ready the moment we declare independence."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=317553
Jordan's king warns of war by year's end
In Daily Show interview, Abdullah says if issue of settlement construction freeze is not solved, violent conflict could break out by end of 2010. He also criticizes Iranian involvement, saying Palestinian issue 'hijacked by non-Arab elements'.
WASHINGTON Several hours after describing what Israel and the Palestinians are expected to gain from peace in his UN General Assembly address, Jordan's King Abdullah warned Thursday night that if the settlement construction freeze issue would not be solved, a violent conflict could break out by the end of 2010.
"If we don't get past the 30th, which shows sincerity that the Israelis and Palestinians are going to move forward," expect a war by the end of the year, the Jordanian king told Jon Stewart on the Daily Show.
He expressed his fear that dealing with the settlements instead of solving the core issues would harm the peace talks.
People are waiting for us to fail, he said, in order to tell us there is no chance for a dialogue with Israel and violence is the only way.
'Most people will vote for peace'
Abdullah said he was pleasantly surprised by the seriousness demonstrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Everyone knows what needs to be done, he said, adding that it was the best deal both sides could achieve.
The king said he believed that if the public was given the option of voting for peace or for war, most people on both sides would vote for peace.
He implicitly criticized Iran's involvement in the Middle East, saying that the Palestinian issue "has been hijacked by some non-Arab elements and that the moderates have very little to say.
According to Abdullah, solving the conflict will end the Iranian involvement.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3959234,00.html 7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 25 sept 2010
Palestinians protest settlements, urge end to talks
Some 250 Palestinians protested in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, calling for a halt to peace talks if Israel resumes settlement construction.
The demonstrators chanted, "No peace talks if settlement continues," and "the settlement freeze must be total," according to an AFP journalist.
The protest comes amid intensive efforts Saturday to salvage the fledgling peace talks, with a partial Israeli moratorium on construction in the occupied West Bank set to expire Sunday.
The Palestinians have said they will walk out of talks unless the freeze is extended, which Israel has so far refused to do.
http://yhoo.it/bUfUV5
End of freeze: Bibi holds series of consultations with staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a series of consultations Saturday evening about Israel's preparations for the end of the moratorium on West Bank settlement construction, and its political effects.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3959773,00.html
Clinton meets Abbas as settlement freeze deadline looms
U.S. launches last-minute effort to prevent Israeli-Palestinian peace talks from collapsing, after the PA president threatened to walk out on talks if Israel wouldn't extend settlement moratorium.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Friday night with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as the Obama administration engaged in furious, last-minute diplomacy to prevent Israeli-Palestinian peace talks from collapsing.
The Palestinians have threatened to walk out of the talks if Israel does not extend a slowdown in West Bank settlement activity that expires on Sunday.
Clinton met with Abbas for 25 minutes Friday night in New York. Following the meeting, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters that the U.S. efforts to keep the talks alive are ongoing
The U.S. administration is pressing Israel to extend the slowdown and urging Abbas
not to make good on his threat to leave the negotiations.
"It is a pretty intense set of negotiations going on right now with the Israelis and the Palestinians," said Jeffrey Feltman, the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs. "We know that time is short. This is an important issue."
Feltman told reporters the U.S. is urging Israel to extend the moratorium and that both parties need to see the negotiations through to their conclusion.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he does not intend to extend the slowdown, but some Israeli officials have hinted that a compromise could be reached.
Clinton met earlier in the week with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and U.S. special Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell has been shuttling between the two sides in a bid to craft some sort of a compromise.
http://bit.ly/cUI301
7 jan 2012, 16:04 , Respect -
Maria 26 sept 2010
Egypt FM: Freeze reflects Israel's commitment
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Egypt's foreign minister on Saturday called on Israel to extend its moratorium on illegal settlement construction in order to "reach a just political compromise" to the conflict.
Speaking before the UN General Assembly, Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Israel's decision on settlement activity was a major factor in determining Israel's commitment to the peace process and successful negotiations.
"If Israel fails to continue with the moratorium, negotiations will be in jeopardy. Public opinion and US sponsors will hold Israel responsible for missing a precious opportunity, which was the result of huge US efforts," Aboul Gheit said.
He added that Egypt "will be looking forward to a fast solution from both sides on the issue of borders," which the Palestinian negotiation delegation says is on the top of the Palestinian agenda.
Aboul Gheit further said Egypt would support serious attempts to begin direct negotiations between Israel, Lebanon and Syria in a bid to reach a comprehensive Middle East peace deal, after the US announced it would be working toward guaranteeing a peace agreement in the region.
According to reports in Israel media, the 10-month partial moratorium is due to expire on Sunday and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to announce his government's stance on further construction during the weekly cabinet meeting.
Although Netanyahu said the freeze would not be extended, the US has been in consultation with Israeli and Palestinian officials on overcoming the impasse that continued settlement construction would cause, as President Mahmoud Abbas announced he would withdraw from talks if building proceeded.
However, the Palestinian negotiation delegation said it would make its decision on whether to remain in talks on 30 September, following confusion over the date that the moratorium would expire.
Meanwhile, reports suggest Israeli settlement councils are preparing for a "surge" of construction after Sunday, a day after 20 mobile homes and construction materials were seen arriving at the West Bank settlement of Revava in the northern Salfit district.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=317984
Barak to urge freeze extension
As settlers gear to celebrate end of 10-month long West Bank construction suspension, defense minister is expected to tell cabinet prolonging settlement freeze may be the only way to save peace process. Peace Now plan protest rally, warn freeze's end will seal fate of peace talks.
The settlers may be counting down the minutes to the end of the settlement freeze, but Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who returned from New York overnight, is expected to implore Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the cabinet to prolong it.
Barak, who spent his weekend in a series of meetings with US and Palestinian officials in an attempt to avoid an impasse in the peace talks, is likely to ask Netanyahu to order the settlement freeze continue for at least two or three months.
Ynet has learned that the Palestinians have thus far refused all of Barak's proposed compromises on the matter. The demand for a three-month extension has been echoed by international elements as well.
Senior Jerusalem sources told Ynet Saturday that in light of rocky situation of the peace talks and international pressure "the ball is in Netanyahu's court. He has a decision to make resume settlement construction or extend the settlement freeze."
Barak meanwhile, is expected to explain to Netanyahu and the cabinet ministers that the peace talks, which have been stalling almost form day one, are unlikely to survive renewed settlement construction; assuring them that if the Palestinians falter during negotiations construction could be resumed at any given time.
Sources familiar with the inner workings of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process said that an extension of the settlement freeze "was the least the PA could ask of the US, Europe and the Quartet."
No solution has been devised at this time and according to the sources, "Sunday is critical" to the future of the peace process. Attorney Yitzhak Molcho, head of the Israeli negotiation team, has remained in the United States and will continue meeting with US and PA officials in an attempt to reach a solution.
Bells and whistles?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, has requested that Arab foreign minister convene in Egypt to discuss the peace talks. Abbas is expected to meet with European officials in France, next.
Even if the government decides against Barak's recommendation, the settlers' planned actions according to a senior minister are unlikely to have any real impact: "They may hold a few ceremonies, but Abbas can handle photos of a couple of bulldozers. That has no real significance.
"No real construction will begin Sunday. This is all just bells and whistles, with no real affect on the future. The question is what will happen when the Construction and Housing Ministry will ask the Defense Ministry to approve bids for the area In any case, if we will see any real construction in the next few days, then that would be a sign to Abbas, that the settlement freeze has really ended."
Currently, there are 2,000 housing units which have been approved for construction in the West Bank. Nevertheless, is it believed that any de facto construction will take place on a much smaller scale, as some of the permits given prior to the decision on the settlement freeze may be up for review.
Still, Jerusalem sources said that the true catalyst to any final breakdown in the peace talks would be construction in east Jerusalem.
"Netanyahu will be the one asked to approve any construction in east Jerusalem, not Barak," said a political source. "If he decides to continue the current policy of denying bids, that would mean that the freeze has been extended. East Jerusalem is the clincher here."
Crunch time for government?
Several ceremonies are expected to be held by settlers throughout the West Bank Sunday, marking the end of the 10-month settlement freeze.
The ceremonies are expected to be led by the heads of the Yesha Council, rightist Knesset members and the heads of local West Bank councils.
"Ten months of an absolutely redundant freeze are ending today," Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan said. "We're getting back to normal. Building a Jewish home (here) will no longer be illegal, as that miserable freeze order made it.
"Today also give the Israeli government a chance to prove it can follow through in its word, both to its citizens and the world, to bolster Israel and return to Zionist action."
Sources in the settlement movement said that construction will be resumed gradually, since the sensitive political situation was not lost on them: "We are aware of the pressure the prime minister in under. It is up to us to support him and the government, so they can keep their word, not just about ending the freeze, but also about truly resuming construction," a source said.
Meanwhile, left-wing movement Peace Now is planning what it is calling "an emergency rally" outside Netanyahu's home.
"Resuming West Bank construction goes against any political logic and may very well spell the end of our chance to strike peace with the Palestinians," said Peace Now Director Yariv Oppenheimer.
"Pictures of bulldozers on the ground will only serve Hamas and will cripple Israel's international standing. Anyone familiar with the true situation knows that even know, the two-state solution is virtually impossible to realize."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3959816,00.html
Settlers poised to build despite bid to save talks
Jewish settlers in the West Bank signalled their determination to renew building on Sunday as a settlement freeze expired, despite diplomatic efforts to defuse a crisis facing renewed peace talks.
As the midnight deadline approached, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who until now had vowed to abandon peace talks if Israel resumes building, stepped back from the brink, telling AFP in Paris he would meet top Arab diplomats on October 4 before deciding his next move.
But he also renewed his call for a continuation of the freeze.
"If Israel does not continue the settlement freeze, the peace process will be a waste of time," Abbas told Jewish leaders in Paris, hours before the Israeli 10-month partial moratorium was set to end.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to calm tensions, urging settlers to display "restraint and responsibility" once the moratorium expires.
Netanyahu, who has so far refused to extend the freeze, was meeting on Sunday night with Defence Minister Ehud Barak to discuss possible compromise solutions, Israeli media reported.
The premier's office declined to comment on his activities as the deadline approached.
Barak returned earlier on Sunday from the United States where he had been engaged in efforts to find a way around the impasse.
Before leaving he told the BBC he was optimistic the direct talks that resumed at the beginning of the month would survive.
"I think that the chance of achieving a mutually-agreed understanding about moratorium is 50-50. I think that the chances of having a peace process is much higher," he said.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were believed to be still meeting in Washington.
US President Barack Obama's top policy adviser said Washington was still hopeful of brokering a compromise over the end of the ban on new building in the occupied West Bank.
"We are going to urge and urge, and push throughout this day to get some kind of resolution," David Axelrod told ABC News. "These talks themselves are absolutely crucial -- we're at a critical juncture in that region.
But efforts to keep the talks on track may depend on events on the ground.
This was highlighted by an attack in the West Bank late on Sunday, when suspected Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an Israeli vehicle, lightly wounding a woman, the military said.
The attack happened south of the city of Hebron near an area where four Israelis were killed in a similar shooting earlier in the month.
Keeping the talks alive will also depend on how successful Netanyahu is in controlling the settlers and members of his hardline coalition.
Around 2,000 people, including hundreds from Netanyahu's own right wing Likud party and a large contingent of flag-waving evangelical Christians, flooded into Revava settlement in the northern West Bank for a rally marking the end of the freeze.
Standing in front of a stage draped with a huge banner emblazoned with the slogan "We salute the pioneers of Judaea and Samaria," the crowds counted down from 10 to zero as the sun set over the rugged hills.
"The freeze is over," shouted Likud hardliner Danny Danon to roars of approval.
Earlier, settlers laid the cornerstone for a new nursery school in the nearby settlement of Kiryat Netafim in an event organised by Danon, a political hardliner but not a settler himself.
But settlers conceded there despite the symbolic displays, there was unlikely to be a flood of construction.
"We are getting back to business as usual and building but we will respect the prime minister's request," said David Ha'ivri, head of the Samaria regional council.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, settler sources told AFP they had been given the nod from the premier's office to start building -- but on condition they "don't make a big deal of it."
The freeze is generally accepted to end at midnight, when the settlers will be able to begin work on 13,000 new housing units, settlement watchdog Peace Now says.
Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land is one of the most bitter aspects of the conflict. Currently, around 500,000 Israelis live in more than 120 settlements across the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories the Palestinians want for their promised state.
A previous round of direct talks collapsed in December 2008 when Israel launched a war on the Gaza Strip aimed at halting rocket attacks.
http://yhoo.it/ab4pUH
Sha'ath: Only Netanyahu can save talks by extending freeze
Abbas in Paris as moratorium deadline approaches; will meet French Jewish leaders, Sarkozy; French president to pressure him to remain in talks; PA president says no violence if talks fail.
Palestinian Authority negotiator Nabil Sha'ath said that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians are in the hands of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and only he can "neutralize the explosive situation" by extending the moratorium on West Bank settlement construction, Israel Radio reported on Sunday.
Sha'ath added that if Netanyahu fails to extend the building freeze and peace talks subsequently fail, Israel will be held fully responsible.
Sha'ath arrived in Paris on Sunday along with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as Israelis and Palestinians try to find a compromise on the issue of the moratorium which was scheduled to end on Sunday night.
Abbas was scheduled to meet with leaders of the French Jewish community and later with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon. Sarkozy was expected to try and convince Abbas not to leave peace talks with the Israelis.
Abbas denied that Palestinians would turn to violence if talks are halted by saying "we tried the Intifada and it caused us a great deal of damage," according to an interview published in London based newspaper Al-Hayat cited by Army Radio Sunday.
Abbas claimed in the interview that if there is a breakdown in direct negotiations his people will not start violent confrontations with Israel.
The comments come after Abbas said on Saturday that no peace deal is possible unless Israel stops settlement construction, but he did not threaten to walk away from the negotiating table if the settlement construction moratorium expires as scheduled on Sunday at midnight.
Israel must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements, Abbas said in his address to the UN General Assembly's annual meeting.
In Jerusalem, meanwhile, government sources said that Israel was open to compromise on the issue, and there were a number of ideas that Jerusalem could live with.
The sources said that intensive talks on the matter were continuing in the US, in an effort to keep the issue from derailing the direct talks that were restarted at the beginning of the month.
One of the ideas that have been raised is to extend the freeze for another three months, and set that as a deadline by which Israel and the PA must reach an agreement on borders so that Israel would then know exactly where it was free to build.
Another idea, a variation of the same theme, is to extend the moratorium by another three months, but exclude from this moratorium some 2,000 units for which all the necessary permits have been granted and on which building could start immediately.
Among other ideas that have been raised are the following:
Agree to the number of units that can be constructed each year, based on natural growth; Allow building in the large settlement blocks in areas adjacent to the existing construction line, but allow only the construction of public buildings needed for natural growth in all other settlements;
Agree to gradual construction now, and to extend the moratorium at the beginning of the year, when the talks move into a more advanced stage; Allow housing construction in the largest settlements Ma'aleh Adumim, Betar Ilit, Modi'in Ilit and Ariel but construction for public buildings only in the rest of the settlements.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=189293
New Hope For Shaky Middle East Peace Talks
Palestinians will not immediately end peace talks with Israel if a row over settlements cannot be resolved by tonight's deadline, President Mahmoud Abbas has said.
Abbas has raised hopes the much-heralded direct talks - which began on September 2 - will not collapse at the first hurdle.
The Palestinian leader has previously said he would walk away from the talks if Israel did not extend its agreement to freeze construction on settlements.
The 10-month freeze ends tonight and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it would not be extended.
In an interview with the pan-Arab newspaper al-Hayat, Abbas denied that failing to extend the halt on construction would lead immediately to a collapse in talks.
He said: "No, we will go back to the Palestinian institutions, to the Arab follow-up committee."
He was referring to an Arab League forum that gave him the go-ahead to pursue the US-brokered direct peace talks with Israel in the first place.
Nabil Abu Radainah, an Abbas spokesman, told the Palestinian newspaper al-Ayyam that Abbas had called for a meeting of the follow-up committee "within days" in Cairo.
Abbas and Palestinian officials with him, due in France for an official visit today, were not immediately available for comment.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said there was more than an even chance the peace process would continue.
President Barack Obama has urged Israel to continue the building freeze and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent half and hour in talks with Abbas yesterday.
More than 430,000 Jews live in over 100 settlements established across the West Bank and East Jerusalem on land that Israel captured in 1967.
The World Court deems settlements as illegal, although Israel disputes this.
Palestinians say they will make it impossible for them to create a viable state and the issue is one of the core problems standing in the way of any peace deal.
http://yhoo.it/cWR5Ew
Barak: 50/50 chance compromise on freeze can be reached
Netanyahu instructs ministers not to discuss moratorium with media; Likud MK Danny Danon says activists plan to lay the cornerstone of a new neighborhood in the Revava settlement.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that he is returning to Israel from New York to try to convince the government of the need to compromise on the issue of the moratorium on West Bank settlement building which is scheduled to end Sunday night. Barak's comments came in an interview with the BBC aired on Sunday.
"I think the chance of achieving a mutual agreed understanding about the moratorium is 50/50," he said. "I think the chances of having a peace process is much higher.
"I hope it will not be blocked by this moratorium issue and that we will sail full engines forwards [to] substantial negotiations and agreement," Barak said.
The Prime Minister's Office on Sunday spoke with government ministers about meetings held Saturday night in which the impending end of the moratorium was discussed, asking them not to grant interviews to the media on the subject.
Netanyahu convened a meeting of his advisers to discuss strategy regarding the scheduled end of the moratorium on Saturday night.
Attempts to find a compromise between the sides have failed so far. The Palestinians have said they will leave the month-old talks if construction resumes in full on land they want for an independent state.
Israeli settlers and their supporters have pressured Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to end the restrictions on new construction.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=189269
PM seeks to minimize end-of-freeze hype
Netanyahu's office asks ministers to refrain from commenting on end of West Bank settlement building freeze, Right to tone down planned celebrations. Barak says there is 50-50 chance to resolve issue; French FM states international community will not accept resumed construction.
The West Bank settlement freeze will end Sunday at midnight, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet will not debate its possible extension, due to the government's Sukkot break.
Nevertheless, the Prime Minister's Office issued a special request of the ministers, urging them not to give interviews or make any statements on the matter.
Natan Eshel, the Prime Minister's Office's bureau chief, met Sunday with Knesset Member Danny Danon (Likud), one of the louder voices opposing any extension to the settlement freeze, and asked him to tone down any "end-of-freeze" celebrations planned by the Right, so to minimize friction with the international community on the matter.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, speaking with the BBC before flying back to Israel, said that at this point, he believed there was a "50-50" chance of reaching a deal with Palestinians about Israel's settlement moratorium as a 10-month partial ban winds down.
Barak told the BBC that while he was "not confident" in his ability to convince cabinet members to prolong the b construction suspension, he was more upbeat on the prospects for the peace talks in general.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday that the "issue of the settlement freeze is critical and must ne resolved."
Speaking with London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Hayat Kouchner said that "if we can play a part here we will %u2013 but we will do so with our American friends."
A final decision regarding any construction suspension in the West Bank "will ultimately be up to Israel, but international public opinion will not stand for anything but extending the settlement freeze."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Paris on Sunday for a two-day visit. He is scheduled to meet with representatives of the Jewish community in France on Sunday and with President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Monday.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3959902,00.html
HRW urges Israel to extend freeze
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Israel to respect the rights of Palestinians and extend its partial settlement moratorium permanently.
Israel's settlement activities "violate its obligations as an occupying power and the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank, including unjustly limiting their ability to build homes and access their lands," HRW said in a statement on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a freeze on the settlement projects last November, but figures from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics show that the number of homes built during the 10-month halt declined by only about 10 percent.
The issue is one of the main barriers blocking the US-sponsored talks between Tel Aviv and acting Palestinian Authority (PA) Chief Mahmoud Abbas.
In a United Nations General Assembly speech on Saturday, Abbas said that Israel "must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements."
The PA had earlier threatened to quit the direct talks if Israel does not extend the freeze, which expires on September 26.
HRW Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson criticized Israeli officials for calling the limited settlement freeze "merely a political bargaining chip."
"To Palestinians in the West Bank, the settlements are a major source of daily suffering, which continued settlement expansion would only increase," she was quoted as saying by AFP.
Meanwhile, Israel has approved plans for 13,000 new housing units to be built once the freeze expires, according to the settlement watchdog group Peace Now.
According to Israeli peace activists, there has been no appreciable decline in settlement expansion since the declaration of the moratorium by Tel Aviv.
"We hear repeatedly from Israeli leaders about the 'natural growth' needs of Israeli settlers on occupied territory, but not a word about the virtual refusal to accommodate the natural-growth needs of the Palestinians in the area," Whitson said.
"Palestinian families are forced into cramped quarters, and sometimes effectively forced to leave their villages, while they watch nearby settlements expand without limit," she concluded.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/144014.html
Egyptian FM: Slim chance for peace deal
Addressing UN General Assembly, Aboul Gheit urges Israel to make 'difficult decisions,' warns it would shoulder 'full responsibility before region and world public opinion' if settlement freeze not maintained.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned Israel it would bear the blame if the peace talks break down over the issue of settlements.
"If Israel fails in its commitment to continue freezing its settlement activities, then it would expose the negotiation process to failure and it would shoulder full responsibility before the region and world public opinion," he told the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
"Israel should also bear the responsibility for any negative consequences," he said.
Earlier, US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, "We are doing everything we can to keep the parties in direct talks."
The settlement construction moratorium is set to expire on Sunday.
In his speech, Aboul Gheit said the chances of Israel and the Palestinians signing a peace agreement "remain slim," but added that Cairo views the negotiations as an opportunity that "should not be missed."
The Egyptian FM called on Israel to make "difficult and necessary decisions, saying, "There is no doubt that the issue of a settlement freeze in occupied Palestinian territory has become a key element in determining Israel's intentions and how committed it is to the success of the negotiations."
Also on Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the General Assembly that "Israel must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3959792,00.html
7 jan 2012, 16:05 , Respect -
Maria 26 sept 2010
Leftists: Building will destroy Israel
Protesting outside prime minister's residence, left-wing activists call for continuation of West Bank construction moratorium. 'It seems like we will have to build many more tents of mourning if building is renewed,' says former MK Mossi Raz.
While celebratory ceremonies are being held throughout the West Bank settlements marking the end of a 10-month building moratorium, dozens of left-wing activists setup protest tents outside the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem against the renewal of construction in the West Bank settlements.
The protest effort was entitled: "Building in the settlements will destroy Israel."
The protesters – representatives of Peace Now, public figures and intellectuals – said that the continuation of building in the settlements will put Israel's security in danger and will derail the peace process.
"We have come here at the last minute in order to try and change the severity of the decree and demand that Netanyahu renew the freeze injunctions in order to give peace a real chance," said Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer to Ynet.
"If the injunctions are not renewed, this means at least 2,000 housing units will be built within the upcoming week, and some 11,000 additional units could be built without government authorization. A majority of them are located in the solitary settlements. This means that in reality control over the territory has been handed over to the settlement leadership."
Fomer Knesset Member Mossi Raz (Meretz) also warned of grave implications. "We look like a mourners' tent here. It seems as though we will have to build many more mourning tents if the construction, which will lead to destruction, is renewed. I think the other shoe has dropped for the prime minister that the settlements damage Israel and that he will find a way within the upcoming days to continue the settlement building freeze," Raz said.
According to him, the last 10 months have been quiet on the security front. He said that this was not by chance.
"If it were the opposite, the earth would be quaking. If the settlements build, blood will be shed, and this will not pass by quietly. The settlements are destroying the State of Israel and causing it defensive damage. Hamas and the settlers are trying to torpedo negotiations, and we will not let them collaborate against the interests of the State of Israel," the former MK said.
'No Jewish state without a Palestinian one'
Among the intellectuals partaking in the protest were Prof. Ze'ev Sternhell and author Eyal Megged.
Megged said that the proper course of action is to go the way of peace. "The obligation is to freeze construction," he said.
Addressing the settler public, Megged said, "I can empathize with your frustration, which stems from the fact that you have stood on the frontlines against terrorism for years. However, I would like to tell you that it is possible that there will be a solution that will allow you to stay there within the framework of negotiations."
Former Foreign Ministry Director-General Dr. Alon Liel said that any decision made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be accepted by the public. "He is a popular and politically strong prime minister," Liel asserted.
Liel dedicated some words to Netanyahu, saying, "Sit at home for two hours. Ignore all the coalition pressures from Obama and the Palestinians, and think how you see Israel in another five or 10 years. I am convinced that you have an understanding that we need to ultimately reach a Palestinian state. Without a Palestinian state, there is no Jewish state, and he knows it."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3960226,00.html
Israelis ready to resume construction
Israelis have planned to resume settlement activities in the occupied West Bank as soon as the partial freeze ends at midnight on Sunday.
Residents of a new neighborhood in Revava settlement in the northern West Bank have already brought in cement trucks and bulldozers, AFP reported.
Israel imposed a freeze on the settlement projects last November, but the figures from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics show that the number of homes built during the nearly 10-month halt declined by only about 10 percent.
The issue is one of the main barriers in the way of US-sponsored talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas.
In a UN speech on Saturday, Abbas, who earlier warned to leave the talks, said that Israel "must choose between peace and the continuation of settlements."
Israeli leaders have, however, repeatedly announced that the moratorium will not be extended.
Once the freeze expires, 13,000 new housing units are ready to go up, with plans already approved by Israel, said settlement watchdog group Peace Now.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/144018.html