“But it is more than any Israeli government has done before and can help movement toward agreement between the parties,’’ he said, adding that he planned to return to the Mideast “in the near future’’ to resume his efforts to win agreement from the Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a total halt to settlement construction before peace talks can resume, but the Obama team has struggled in dealing with that demand.
On the one hand, the United States rejects the legitimacy of Israeli settlements and has harshly criticized Israel’s construction in east Jerusalem, but on the other, it wants the two sides to sit down and work out their differences.
Netanyahu said the “far-reaching and painful step’’ was designed to “encourage resumption of peace talks with our Palestinian neighbors.’’ He added: “Israel’s government has made an important step toward peace today,’’ Netanyahu said. “Let us make peace together.’’
The freeze applies only to new housing, meaning about 3,000 units under construction can be finished.
“We will not halt existing construction and we will continue to build synagogues, schools, kindergartens, and public buildings essential for normal life’’ in the settlements, Netanyahu said in a statement broadcast live from his office. About 300,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said there was nothing new in Netanyahu’s announcement, pointing to the 3,000 new housing units under construction in the West Bank.
“This is not a moratorium,’’ he said. “Unfortunately, we hoped he would commit to a real settlement freeze so we can resume negotiations and he had a choice between settlements and peace and he chose settlements.’’
Speaking a day before Israel made its proposal, Abbas adviser Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the freeze would be unacceptable if it didn’t include east Jerusalem.
