Israel to sign orders for new construction

Several Israeli Cabinet ministers lined up yesterday behind Netanyahu’s dual approach.

The prime minister is trying to balance demands from his conservative base and the Obama administration, which has called on Israel to halt all settlement construction.

But Netanyahu risks angering both sides. The White House immediately criticized the new building as detrimental to achieving Mideast peace, while members of the prime minister’s Likud Party opposed limits on settlement construction.

If orders for the 500 apartments are approved, they would be the first building permits issued since Netanyahu took office March 31, a slowdown that existed despite the prime minister’s refusal to agree to Washington’s demands to freeze settlement construction.

Such tense relations between the two strategic allies were rare when George W. Bush was president and moderate Ehud Olmert was Israel’s premier. But public recriminations between President Obama and Netanyahu have become routine.

Obama’s envoy, former US senator George Mitchell of Maine, is expected in Israel at the end of this week or the beginning of next, according to Mark Regev, Israeli government spokesman.

Despite conflicting pressures, Netanyahu hopes to work out a compromise that will satisfy the United States and allow for the resumption of peace negotiations. Israeli officials have suggested they might halt some building in the West Bank in exchange for overtures from Arab nations.

But Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said yesterday that the new construction “really undermines the efforts being exerted to revive the peace process.’’