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Last update - 09:38 24/06/2009
Israel mulls temporary freeze on settlement construction
By Barak Ravid
Tags: West Bank, Israel news 

Israel is considering enacting a temporary freeze on settlement construction, excluding projects already underway, if the United States agrees to continued construction for natural growth once the freeze ends, an Israeli government source has told Haaretz.

U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell has been conducting low-profile talks with Israel in a bid to reach an agreement on the settlement issue, the government official said.

Mitchell was due to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris on Friday, but Netanyahu postponed the meeting and sent Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Washington for talks, the source said.
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Barak believes that any progress on both the Palestinian and the regional peace tracks will render the settlement issue considerably less important, the government official said.

"If there's progress on the peace talks, it will become clearer where the big settlement blocs are, and the gaps will become easier to bridge," said a source close to Barak.

Israel and the United States have already agreed that all unauthorized outposts are to be removed "within weeks or months," no new settlements are to be built and no Palestinian land is to be confiscated.

However, they disagree over the duration of the settlement freeze and the future of settlement construction projects already underway.

Israel is offering to halt some settlement construction for up to six months, while the United States is interested in a considerably longer period.

In addition, Israel wants to convince Washington that building projects currently underway should be allowed to continue - including the construction of up to several thousand housing units.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi raised the settlement issue in a meeting with Netanyahu in Rome yesterday, telling him that settlement construction may become an obstacle for peace, and must be stopped.

Netanyahu is reported to have replied that "an agreed-upon formula can be found with the U.S. if this is what they're looking for."

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Netanyahu said he had no intention of giving up his vision of a final-status agreement in which a demilitarized Palestinian state acknowledges Israel as a Jewish state.

"This isn't a trick or a maneuver," Netanyahu said. "It will become a stepping stone on the way to true peace."

Stop trading with Iran, PM pleads

Netanyahu also asked Berlusconi to reduce trade with Iran, especially oil trade.

Berlusconi said halting projects now underway would result in lawsuits against Italian companies and make it harder for Iran to settle its large financial debt to Italy. He told Netanyahu that some Italian companies have been operating in Iran for many years.

"If we stop now, the Iranians will sue them and place heavy fines on the companies," said Berlusconi. He also said if trade with Iran were to cease, Italy might find it difficult to reclaim Iranian debts amounting to more than $1 billion.

Netanyahu and Berlusconi also discussed the Iranian nuclear program, with the Italian leader saying Iran should not have nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu said the suppression of protests in Iran shows the country is a threat. "All free people in the world should salute the courage of Iranian citizens facing shootings in the streets," he said.
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  1.   Freeze All Construction For Blacks In The US 17:00  |  Yishai Kohen 01/11/09
  2.   The 300 housing units approved the other day? 17:00  |  Apa 01/11/09
  3.   What part of No doesn`t Israel understand 17:00  |  Miggy 01/11/09
  4.   Obama and Bibi can do business 17:00  |  Natallie Durson 01/11/09
  5.   Barack Hussein Obama won`t appreciate that 17:00  |  shlomo 01/11/09
  6.   One way, take it: one step forward only 17:00  |  KHALIL ABO MOHAMAED 01/11/09
  7.   Netanyahu will do as he is told by Obama 17:00  |  mario 01/11/09
  8.   Demanding of Jews, because they are Jews, not to reside in... 17:00  |  Amihai 01/11/09
  9.   An extraordinary proposal! 17:00  |  S 01/11/09
  10.   HAHAHAHAHAHA only in israel 17:00  |  ahmed 01/11/09
  11.   How foolish--now the Arabs never need to negotiate seriously 17:00  |  IW 01/11/09
  12.   DEAL 17:00  |  OZ 01/11/09
  13.   #7: Stop shouting at Antisemitism all the time ... 17:00  |  Alex13 01/11/09
  14.   Khalil 17:00  |  patriot 01/11/09
  15.   poker 17:00  |  oz 01/11/09
  16.   Even the clown Berlusconi 17:00  |  Axel 01/11/09
  17.   Petra, where are you now ? 17:00  |  jennifer 01/11/09
  18.   Amihai 17:00  |  jennifer 01/11/09
  19.   Absurd proposal, in violation of US and international security. 17:00  |  Ivar 01/11/09
  20.   this is racist statement 17:00  |  lemouel 01/11/09
  21.   suppression of protests in Palestine 17:00  |  Johan 01/11/09
  22.   Keeep mulling 17:00  |  john Spear 01/11/09
  23.   Incredibly stupid 17:00  |  American in NY 01/11/09
  24.   PM.Netanyahu, Italy, US and Iran. 17:00  |  Stephen. 01/11/09
  25.   Amihai 17:00  |  Mike from Boston 01/11/09
  26.   Got it wrong again, Amihai 17:00  |  Murray 01/11/09
  27.   Alex 13 17:00  |  Mike from Boston 01/11/09
  28.   Amihai-it`s not about being a Jew, silly... 17:00  |  Ibrahim 01/11/09
  29.   Stop the Mulling 17:00  |  Steven Grumman 01/11/09
  30.   how to exhibit stupidity without really trying 17:00  |  vhardman 01/11/09
  31.   You STILL don`t get it, do you? 17:00  |  Johnboy 01/11/09
  32.   Bye bye illegal settlements 17:00  |  Matty Groves 01/11/09
  33.   I agree. This is a pure and simple form of racism to expect Jews, 17:00  |  Geulah 01/11/09
  34.   #7 17:00  |  O-Dog 01/11/09
  35.   Bibi will cave on everything 17:00  |  Eli 01/11/09
  36.   Where? 17:00  |  Peter 01/11/09
  37.   Settlement freeze 17:00  |  Candy 01/11/09
  38.   West Bank settlements are illegal 17:00  |  dan 01/11/09
  39.   Nobody, least of all Obama. believes in this travesty... 17:00  |  Esther 01/11/09
  40.   Lies, Deceit and Subtrafuge 17:00  |  Yaakov Sullivan 01/11/09
  41.   Amihai in Jerusalem Living in the past 17:00  |  Yaakov Sullivan 01/11/09
  42.   "Settlements" as a critical obstacle to peace ? 17:00  |  Lane 01/11/09
  43.   Natural growth is not reason for building 17:00  |  LisaV 01/11/09
  44.   Didn`t Israel learn its lesson? 17:00  |  David K 01/11/09
  45.   Transfer 17:00  |  Shmuel 01/11/09
  46.   # 42 lane 17:00  |  Axel 01/11/09
  47.   You don`t know who you`re dealing with, Bibi 17:00  |  Jack A. Diamonds 01/11/09
  48.   To Natallie Durson from Los Angeles 17:00  |  Shoshanna Thomasson 01/11/09
  49.   Israel should mull 17:00  |  Jennifer 01/11/09
  50.   Yaakov 17:00  |  Brod 01/11/09
  51.   Lisa 17:00  |  Brod 01/11/09
  52.   This reminds me of the rush to plant the term "disputed" 17:00  |  Labhras 01/11/09
  53.   LisaV #43, of overwhelming importance is the fact... 17:00  |  Esther 01/11/09
  54.   Balcks are not illegal settlers Yishai Cohen--you are. 17:00  |  Raven 01/11/09
  55.   Re: Yishai Kohen Msg 1 17:00  |  Vito 1502 01/11/09
  56.   let the construction freeze be in place till a final peace - 17:00  |  ivo 01/11/09
  57.   # 45 shmuel 17:00  |  Axel 01/11/09
  58.   Renegotiating what has already been negotiated 17:00  |  binny 01/11/09
  59.   Israeli concessions are to gain Putin`s approval, not Obama`s 17:00  |  Voice of Reason 01/11/09
  60.   Amihai,10,000 v 800,000 17:00  |  Spokanite 01/11/09
  61.   In the end its Purely Accademic? 17:00  |  Andrew 01/11/09
  62.   another feint, another trick 17:00  |  Todd 01/11/09
  63.   to racist post #1 17:00  |  Albert 01/11/09
  64.   #33, Amihai and other screaming racism 17:00  |  KR 01/11/09
  65.   To Amihai Jerusalem 17:00  |  Shoshanna Thomasson 01/11/09
  66.   "Temporary freeze" = 5 minutes 17:00  |  peacelover 01/11/09
  67.   memory 17:00  |  patriot 01/11/09
  68.   Re #38 West Bank settlements are illegal 17:00  |  Gully Foyle 01/11/09
  69.   NO HE IS NOT A RACIST BUT AGOOD JEWISH PATRIOT@63 Albert 17:00  |  Whiskey/Bravo 01/11/09
  70.   TO VOICE OF REASON@59 I BET YOU HAVE SOMETHING THERE! 17:00  |  Kathy 01/11/09
  71.   Tod Making "bold " making unwarranted comments@62 17:00  |  Kathy 01/11/09
  72.   Racism? Seriously? 17:00  |  Pete 01/11/09
  73.   Jennifer 49 17:00  |  Bert 01/11/09
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