West Bank Construciton Freeze Announced. Palestinians Reject it
Palestinian Muslim labourers work on new housing units in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev, north of Jerusalem, in August. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking his government to approve a 10-month moratorium on new building permits for Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, his office has said. (AFP/File/Menahem Kahana)
JERUSALEM, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Israel announced on Wednesday a plan to limit settlement construction for 10 months in a bid to revive peace negotiations with the Palestinians who said the partial moratorium did not meet their terms for talks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal excludes areas of the West Bank that Israel annexed to its Jerusalem municipality after capturing the territory in a 1967 war and building projects already under way, government officials said.
“Any return to negotiations must be on the basis of a complete settlement freeze, and in Jerusalem foremost,” said Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Update: PM pushing 10-month settlement freeze — Jerusalem Post
My Comment: The Palestinians view this freeze as partial and temporary …. and as far as they are concerned this is a non-starter. Expect tensions between the two communities increasing in the coming months.
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