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Netanyahu announcing a 10-month settlement freeze on Wednesday in Jerusalem.
 (AP)
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Last update - 09:25 26/11/2009
'Settlement freeze' won't bring about peace
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Netanyahu, Israel news 

Newspaper headlines across the world this morning will trumpet the courageous and unprecedented initiative of Israel's prime minister. Who could have imagined that the right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu and the settler Avigdor Lieberman would lend a hand to freezing settlement construction? How the settlers' fuses will blow. Now Daniel Ben Simon can end his love affair with the Labor rebels and go back to being faithful to Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Indeed, from Israel's point of view, the government took a major step yesterday. Prime Minister Netanyahu says the move is designed to return the Palestinians to the peace talks. If this is really his intention, the prime minister has managed (temporarily) to pass the hot potato to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. No peace process will come out of it.

It is hard to decide what would cause greater harm to whatever is left of Abbas' status in the Palestinian public - American pressure to settle with the deal Netanyahu offered him yesterday, or the prisoner-exchange deal that the prime minister is offering his great enemies in Hamas. It is unlikely that Netanyahu really believed Abbas would thank Israel's government for deciding to temporarily freeze the settlements in the West Bank, praise it for building synagogues and new schools, agree to the completion of 2,500 partially-built housing units and the construction of 492 new apartments.
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It is unlikely Netanyahu thought that on the eve of Id al-Adha the Muslim leader would adopt the Jewish people's position that East Jerusalem is part of the State of Israel. Is Netanyahu really expecting Abbas to recognize Israel's sovereignty on Gilo, not to mention Sheikh Jarrah and the Temple Mount?

The really important question, which interests Netanyahu more than anything, is how U.S. President Barack Obama will view his proposal. This is not the first time an Israeli government has committed to freezing settlements. Tomorrow it will be two years since prime minister Ehud Olmert announced in Annapolis his commitment to open negotiations on the basis of the road map.

In that detailed document, the Sharon cabinet undertook in May 2003 to suspend all activity in the settlements, including construction for natural growth.

The list of 14 reservations attached to the cabinet decision said that the settlements in the West Bank would not even be discussed "except for freezing the settlements and removing the outposts."

Freezing West Bank settlements, even temporarily, has become a necessary condition for saving the two-state solution and the Palestinian faction supporting it. Necessary, but by no means sufficient. In the absence of basic trust between the parties, even if Netanyahu continues to shove building permits into the drawer, as he has been doing since he returned to the prime minister's desk, it won't suffice.

Today's newspaper reports about the settlements are more important than what is actually happening in them. In this situation, the ball - a ball of fire - has returned to the White House's course.
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  1.   `Settlement freeze` won`t bring about peace 04:34  |  Gideon ben yoash 26/11/09
  2.   Well, so far..... 04:59  |  Johnboy 26/11/09
  3.   The ball is still in Israel`s court. It will be until all illega 05:05  |  CJ 26/11/09
  4.   "If we have a ten week freeze on settlement construction, can we 05:11  |  CJ 26/11/09
  5.   Right, talking at the negotiation table will bring peace 06:17  |  Smadar 26/11/09
  6.   No. 07:34  |  harvey 26/11/09
  7.   Peace will come as soon as Palestenians are ready 08:25  |  Josh 26/11/09
  8.   this is just too funny 08:25  |  David 26/11/09
  9.   FATAH WILL ALWAYS ASK MORE PRECONDITIONS, NEXT IS J.EAST 08:29  |  THEN A STATE... 26/11/09
  10.   Bulldoze the settlements to rid terrorists of their homes 08:42  |  Uzi Sapperstein 26/11/09
  11.   Smadar, correct! 08:54  |  SDHD 26/11/09
  12.   The world`s basically ignoring Bibi`s empty gesture 09:49  |  Michael 26/11/09
  13.   Media Power Play 10:39  |  kozik 26/11/09
  14.   Josh - Ah yes, a partner who doesn`t mind being robbed? 11:11  |  CJ 26/11/09
  15.   #11 And Abbas is right to do so, SDHD 11:33  |  Johnboy 26/11/09
  16.   Enforcement is a necessary step.... 11:38  |  Dutch 26/11/09
  17.   BECAUSE the Pals are not interested in negotiating 11:45  |  PETER SM 26/11/09
  18.   Nataniahu will get away with this 12:09  |  arik 26/11/09
  19.   It hasn`t even begun, it`s a non-starter 12:41  |  sh 26/11/09
  20.   Gaza+Lebanon operations brought temporary peace 12:57  |  Sam 26/11/09
  21.   To THEN A STATE 13:29  |  Sam Soul 26/11/09
  22.   Freeeze failed peace process 13:34  |  Don Lary 26/11/09
  23.   erratum 14:13  |  Jim 26/11/09
  24.   One State Solution is good for israel 14:16  |  Tony Silver 26/11/09
  25.   Only full removal of illegal settlements will bring peace 16:04  |  jens 26/11/09
  26.   #25 ther are no illegal settlements in israel jens 16:51  |  vhardman 26/11/09
  27.   Let`s start by first ... 17:58  |  Tom 26/11/09
  28.   Take responsibility for once 18:16  |  Ed 26/11/09
  29.   Take responsibility for once 18:17  |  Ed 26/11/09
  30.   And will this responsibility be reciprocated Ed, 18:31  |  r cummings 26/11/09
  31.   Poor Vhardman, all alone in the world with his 18:43  |  r cummings 26/11/09
  32.   #20 Sam 18:53  |  Jim 26/11/09
  33.   #26 vhardman 19:05  |  Jim 26/11/09
  34.   #26 vhardman 19:06  |  Jim 26/11/09
  35.   Jim-The world this, the world that 19:45  |  Sam 26/11/09
  36.   r cummings 20:09  |  Ed 26/11/09
  37.   #35 What a hoot, Sam 04:04  |  Johnboy 27/11/09
  38.   18 arik 04:11  |  John Spear 27/11/09
  39.   vhardman 04:57  |  John Spear 27/11/09
  40.   Ed 36 lying from the safety of the USA 05:11  |  John Spear 27/11/09
  41.   vhardman - More tosh 06:14  |  CJ 27/11/09
  42.   Sam - Incorrect 06:25  |  CJ 27/11/09
  43.   Sam is correct . CJ is incorrect 10:57  |  arik 27/11/09
  44.   Jim--- Geneva convention 11:17  |  arik 27/11/09
  45.   #42 SAM`s argument is clearly nonsensical, arik 11:08  |  Johnboy 29/11/09
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