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Last update - 20:58 17/06/2009
'U.S.-Israel row over West Bank settlements to be resolved soon'
By Haaretz Service
Tags: U.S., settlements 

The incoming Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, said on Wednesday that he expected the ongoing dispute between the Israeli and American governments over West Bank settlement construction to be resolved soon.

"[U.S. President Barack] Obama welcomed [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's policy speech, but the settlement question is still on the table," he told Israel Radio. "But there has been some progress made on that front over the past few days. Both parties have expressed their determined will to put an end to this bone of contention, and some novel ideas have been proposed."

He said he was not authorized to elaborate on the nature of these "novel ideas."
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"I don't foresee us clashing with the Americans," Oren told Israel Radio. "We overcame the crisis in 1956 [during the Sinai Campaign against Egypt] and the loan guarantee crisis of [President George H.W.] Bush with [then-Israeli prime minister Yitzhak] Shamir."

Oren also said that while Netanyahu is ready to negotiate without preconditions, the Palestinians, for the first time, demand a complete freeze of construction in the settlements as a precondition for peace talks.

"The Palestinians would have to give up on this condition, because it's a new one," he said. "If they do it, we'll the resumption of the peace talks very soon."

Oren said that Israel will not return to the 1967 borders, because they are indefensible.

"A clear majority of Israelis are against it, and the Americans understand it is not feasible," he continued. "The borders are indefensible, and that was one of the reasons the war started. And after the war ended, when the Americans formulated the language of UN Resolution 242, then-Secretary of State Dean Rusk explicitly wrote that one of the goals of the resolution is to prevent a return to the 1967 borders."

Related articles:
  • Haaretz poll: 64 percent of Israelis back two-state solution
  • What exactly was U.S.-Israel agreement on settlements?
  • Abbas: U.S. is committed to ending settlement construction

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      1.   Oren Pontificates 15:30  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/06/09
      2.   More signs that the US is bending 15:50  |  The Prophet 17/06/09
      3.   The borders are indefensible 15:52  |  Sidi 17/06/09
      4.   Indefensible borders 15:56  |  Bob T 17/06/09
      5.   borders 16:03  |  Salah Ad-Din 17/06/09
      6.   What Will Obama Do? 16:16  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/06/09
      7.   Sidi #3 16:29  |  Mickey 17/06/09
      8.   Indefensible my eye 16:35  |  Prof 17/06/09
      9.   Indefensible borders means exactly that 16:35  |  jackie 17/06/09
      10.   What are the negotiating for? 16:38  |  Ibrahim 17/06/09
      11.   diplomacy 16:45  |  Murray 17/06/09
      12.   defense? 16:48  |  jon 17/06/09
      13.   Indefensible for, not Against Palestinians 17:07  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/06/09
      14.   Obama`s strategy is different 17:12  |  Gil 17/06/09
      15.   The war did not start on WB but with Egypt .. 17:15  |  un2here 17/06/09
      16.   # 6 Borders are indefensible 17:22  |  Nate from Toronto 17/06/09
      17.   Elsewhere in todays news... 17:35  |  Natallie Durson 17/06/09
      18.   Oren just one more US / Israeli TALKING RHETTORIC MACHINE! 17:46  |  jim the mechanic 17/06/09
      19.   indefensible- what a laugh! 18:07  |  Space 17/06/09
      20.   No Pre Conditions? 18:17  |  Peter 17/06/09
      21.   #6, #16 - valid excuse? NO 18:30  |  Don 17/06/09
      22.   Defensible Boundaries 19:19  |  Jasper 17/06/09
      23.   Settlements 19:21  |  Me 17/06/09
      24.   Obama and Settlements 19:32  |  American 17/06/09
      25.   American in NY 20:37  |  Jasper 17/06/09
      26.   To Sidi 20:38  |  Roman 17/06/09
      27.   Pleas Publicise Your Last Point In US/Foreign MEdia 20:55  |  Ken Green 17/06/09
      28.   Jasper...no descent human being supports 22:10  |  FK 17/06/09
      29.   How to give peace a chance 05:40  |  Luc Hansen 18/06/09
      30.   #2 Thanks for the tip, Prophet (2nd try) 05:43  |  Johnboy 18/06/09
      31.   Oren is a historian, is he? (2nd try) 05:51  |  Johnboy 18/06/09
      32.   Now Johnboy look at Gaza 07:56  |  Jordan 18/06/09
      33.   Don, now actually look at the reality 08:05  |  Jordan 18/06/09
      34.   Israel`s return to `67 borders is its ONLY defense 13:52  |  Ivar 18/06/09
      35.   settlements 06:25  |  Barbara Candy 19/06/09
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