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Last update - 23:08 26/11/2009
Israel wages campaign to win support for settlement freeze
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel news 

The Foreign Ministry on Thursday instructed its delegates abroad to work to gain international support for the 10-month freeze on West Bank settlement construction announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu announced the moratorium on Wednesday at a special news conference, during which he urged the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table.

Deputy director-general of the Foreign Ministry, Rafi Barak, sent envoys a missive Thursday morning instructing them to launch diplomatic efforts to advance Israel's position on the settlement freeze and stress its importance to international audiences.
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Barak also instructed envoys to urge the international community to press the Palestinians to return immediately to the negotiating table.

The Israeli diplomats were further instructed to work with their foreign counterparts as well as politicians and media outlets in order to garner formal endorsements of the Israeli plan.

"We must work to achieve understanding and declarations of support for the Israeli move," the Foreign Ministry missive said.

Foreign Ministry director-general Yossi Gal on Thursday briefed dozens of foreign diplomats about the settlement freeze.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a statement the Israeli move was a "step in the right direction" and "a positive contribution to peace."

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said his country wanted the Israeli decision to "become a step towards resuming meaningful negotiations."

He called on Israel to implement a full freeze on settlements, which he deemed "illegal."

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday that he believed Israel's declaration of a 10-month freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank would lead to a renewal of peace talks with the Palestinians.

But, the former prime minister and army chief cautioned, this would not happen in the coming days.

The Palestinian Authority swiftly rejected the moratorium as it does not include a building freeze in Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, the mainly Arab sector of the city they want as the capital of a future state.

The Obama administration welcomed the decision Wednesday as a step toward resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement released moments after Netanyahu announced the 10-month freeze.

"Today's announcement by the government of Israel helps move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Clinton said.
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