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Last update - 12:01 12/07/2009
Palestinians reject any U.S.-Israel deal on settlements
By Reuters
Tags: west bank settlements 

The Palestinian Authority will reject any deal between Israel and the United States that would allow even limited settlement construction in the West Bank, a top Palestinian negotiator said Sunday.

"There are no middle-ground solutions for the settlement issue: either settlement activity stops or it doesn't stop," Saeb Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.

Erekat said Abbas expressed that message in a letter on Saturday to U.S. President Barack Obama.
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Erekat was responding to reports that Israel and the United States were discussing a compromise that would allow some building in existing settlements under what Israel terms "natural growth" to accommodate expanding families.

A U.S. official denied on Wednesday a report in the Israeli daily Maariv that the Obama administration agreed work could continue on 2,500 housing units whose construction had begun, despite its call for a total freeze to spur peace efforts.

The report followed talks in London last week between George Mitchell, Obama's special Middle East envoy, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak aimed at healing a rift over continued settlement activity.

The U.S. State Department said Mitchell was expected in the region "soon" for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Barak has been seeking a deal with the United States that would include initial steps by Arab states to normaliZe relations with Israel in return for limiting settlement activity.

Palestinians have said they would not revive stalled peace talks with Israel unless its settlement activities stopped.

"If settlement continues Israel will be allowed to build one thousand units here and two thousand units there, which will lead Arabs and Palestinians to believe that the American administration is incapable of swaying Israel to halt its settlement activities," Erekat said.

"The message is clear: settlements should stop immediately."

Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in the 1967 Six Day War.

Western officials said the United States was moving in the direction of making allowances so Israel could finish off at least some existing projects which are close to completion or bound by private contracts that cannot be broken.

Israel estimates that 2,500 units are in the process of being built and cannot be stopped under Israeli law.

Netanyahu, under U.S. pressure, has pledged not to build new settlements in the West Bank.
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  1.   Obama 12:40  |  JS 12/07/09
  2.   Hand it over and let the palestinians complete building 13:09  |  Joe W 12/07/09
  3.   CAN ANYONE TELL ME 13:10  |  steve 12/07/09
  4.   palestinian rejection 13:51  |  tiki 12/07/09
  5.   Terror issue 13:58  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 12/07/09
  6.   PA Rejects any deal 14:06  |  Bruria 12/07/09
  7.   Just leave us alone 14:14  |  Palestinian 12/07/09
  8.   We build you destroy 15:48  |  Palestinian 12/07/09
  9.   U.S. Deal on settlements 16:25  |  Dr. David Feigenbaum 12/07/09
  10.   It is time to open the Golden Gate (Sha`ar Harachamim) 17:42  |  Witness 12/07/09
  11.   Don`t bother them 18:26  |  Brod 12/07/09
  12.   Obamessiah 18:41  |  Roscoe 12/07/09
  13.   to Palestinian.... 19:25  |  Tony Silver 12/07/09
  14.   no middle ground -- either it stops or it doesn`t stop 17:24  |  Barak Obama 13/07/09
  15.   #3: steve -- no one will lose any jobs 17:27  |  Barak Obama 13/07/09
  16.   Jewish terror anyone? 13:58  |  adam 14/07/09
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