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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (AP)
Last update - 18:04 15/06/2008
Rice: Settlement construction has 'negative effect' on talks
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies

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Last week, Israel announced plans to build 1,300 new apartments in east Jerusalem, sparking the ire of the Palestinians who view parts of Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state.

"It's important to have an atmosphere of trust and confidence," Rice told reporters.
"Unfortunately I do believe, and the United States believes, that the? announcements taking place are having a negative effect on talks."

She said she would raise the issue of settlements later in the day with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The Israeli leader's office declined comment.

Rice's agenda also includes a three-way meeting with the chief Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, and another joint meeting with Israel's defense minister and the Palestinian prime minister set for Monday. She cautioned that she did not expect any exceptional breakthroughs.

Palestinian leaders repeatedly have said Israeli settlement construction was undermining public support for peace talks.

"I asked Dr. Rice for assistance in getting Israel to abide by its commitments toward settlements," Abbas said Sunday. "We consider the settlements to be the biggest obstacle for the political process," he continued, adding that every time Israel announces a new settlement project, it increases this difficulty.

Today, some 250,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements, along with 180,000 Israelis in east Jerusalem.

Under the U.S.-backed road map peace plan, Israel has pledged to halt all settlement activity. But Olmert has said he would continue building in West Bank settlements that Israel expects to retain under a final peace agreement.

He also says the freeze does not apply to east Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after the 1967 Six-Day War.

Rice, however, said the status of all disputed land must be resolved through negotiations, and existing Israel settlements would not prejudice those talks. She said European leaders with whom she had just met similarly thought that settlement construction harmed negotiations.

Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said Sunday that "it's clear to everyone that the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem will remain part of Israel in any possible final status agreement."

"Building inside those Jewish neighborhoods in no way contradicts our commitment to move forward in the peace process," Regev said.

Bitter disputes over settlements and a corruption scandal that could force Olmert out of office have undercut U.S. efforts to reach a statehood agreement this year, Israeli, Palestinian and Western officials say.

Meanwhile in the Gaza Strip, Hamas, which controls the coastal territory, said "nothing good could come from Rice's visit." Hamas seized the area from Abbas's Fatah faction in fighting a year ago, and opposes his peace talks with Israel.

As Rice arrived on Saturday night to nudge Palestinians and Israelis toward an agreement, Israeli officials expressed serious doubts as to the possibility of progress on talks, due to the current political crisis and possible early elections. "There is no public legitimacy for any move vis-a-vis the Palestinians," an Israeli official said Saturday.

Despite Rice's heavy involvement in the negotiations, the political crisis has reduced the scope of her goals. "The political crisis is casting a pall over the visit. Rice is coming at a strange time and we can assume that for her, the visit will be sobering, in terms of what can and cannot be achieved by the end of the year," a senior Israeli official said.

Rice has tried in recent weeks to get Livni and the head of the Palestinian negotiating team Ahmed Qureia to come to Washington for talks, a proposal Livni rejected.

In preparatory talks for Rice's visit this week, senior State Department officials said they hoped for a "modest achievement" and that they were seeking a formula that would give the appearance of some progress in the negotiations, but "did not want dramas."

Israeli officials said they would agree to three-way talks as part of some type of conference abroad, but not for negotiations. "The talks will remain between us and the Palestinians only," an Israeli official said.

Government sources said the parties would attempt during Rice's visit to come up with a formula that would allow talks to continue after U.S. elections and despite the political crisis in Israel.

The Palestinians have expressed interest in recent weeks in a "transition document," in case the parties will not reach an agreement by the end of 2008. The Palestinians want such a document, which both Israelis and Palestinians have discussed on a preliminary level, to lay down agreements achieved with Israel in talks and set up a system for continued talks after U.S. elections and possible elections in Israel. The Palestinians would also like to see such a document include an Israeli pledge on settlements, an idea Israel has rejected.

Rice will meet with Olmert, Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. She will also hold a three-way meeting with Livni and Qureia and with Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, to discuss easing travel restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank. The meeting with Fayyad is expected to be tense, following his harsh criticism of Israel in recent weeks. Rice will also meet senior PA officials in Ramallah for talks.

She has already criticized Israel's continued construction in settlements, and was reportedly angered by the recent tenders issued by the Housing Ministry for construction in Jerusalem and Beitar Ilit.

Rice: Israel hasn't done enough to ease life in West Bank

On Saturday, Rice also expressed concern about settlement building, labeling it a "a problem." She further stated saying Israel had not done enough to ease restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank.

"Look, it's a problem and I think it's a problem that we're going to address with the Israelis," Rice said of recent Israeli settlement construction announcements as she flew to Tel Aviv on her sixth trip this year to try to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Ahead of Rice's arrival, Israel said it had approved construction of 1,300 new homes in an area of the West Bank that the Israeli government considers part of Jerusalem.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Hadad said the housing units, planned for the ultra-Orthodox area of Ramat Shlomo, were approved by the regional planning board as part of Jerusalem's housing master plan.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the announcement part of "a systematic policy to destroy the peace process", and urged Rice to make the issue her top priority.

"It'll certainly be a topic of conversation and I expect to raise it with all of Israel's officials and leaders," Rice told reporters of the newly-announced units. "We've said before that this is a time to try and build confidence and this is simply not helpful."

While saying Israel has taken some moves to ease restrictions for Palestinians in the West Bank, notably in the northern city of Jenin where Palestinian forces have taken on responsibility for security, she said more progress was necessary.

"It's not enough and there certainly and clearly needs to be more," Rice said. "I understand the security considerations as well as anybody, but the obligation was undertaken to improve the lives of Palestinians and we are going to have to work very hard if we are going to make that true in a broader sense."

Analysts believe that the corruption scandal dogging Olmert has dramatically reduced the chances of a peace deal before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009 and could force Rice to consider scaling back her ambitions.

During her visit, Rice plans to meet Olmert in Jerusalem and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. She will also hold three-way talks with the lead negotiators, Livni and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia.

Despite Olmert's political difficulties, the administration has said it will continue to press for a peace agreement this year - the goal Bush announced at a high-profile peace conference he hosted in November in Annapolis, Maryland.

Western, Palestinian and Israel officials have all acknowledged privately, however, that Olmert's corruption investigation could trigger new elections, dimming - if not snuffing out - the chances of any deal.

Some analysts said Bush should now concentrate simply on handing over an active peace process to his successor, rather than on striving to produce some kind of a deal that may be impossible to reach given Israel's political uncertainty.

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      1.   Palestinian systematic destruction of the peace process 23:10  |  Joe Sittizen 14/06/08
      2.   Condie Doesn`t Get It 23:24  |  Mark of Lewiston 14/06/08
      3.   The 40-year-old elephant in the room 23:25  |  David 14/06/08
      4.   Settle the settlers 23:36  |  Natallie Durson 14/06/08
      5.   No, go full force & announce progress made on all core issues 23:41  |  Smadar 14/06/08
      6.   RICE GO HOME 23:49  |  Ralph Levy 14/06/08
      7.   Hey Condi.....back off. Jews also need a place to live!! 23:51  |  Jewish state 14/06/08
      8.   Jewish Settlements Are Like Firewall,Anti-Viruses,Anti-Spywares 00:06  |  Joseph.E 15/06/08
      9.   Israel is destroying itself 00:19  |  Ivan 15/06/08
      10.   Condi, If you truely want a better life for the "Palestinians"... 00:19  |  STOP trying 15/06/08
      11.   What Rice needs to say and won`t 00:21  |  Janice 15/06/08
      12.   Israeli Settelments Dont Kill KASAMS do Adress the issue! 00:25  |  Alan 15/06/08
      13.   Get on your knees and beg, Condi 00:29  |  TimothyL 15/06/08
      14.   Joe Sittizen - Listening to Elliot Abrams 00:30  |  Mark of Lewiston 15/06/08
      15.   Building.... 00:31  |  rochel 15/06/08
      16.   Response to #7 Jewish State 00:32  |  PlanoStu 15/06/08
      17.   Natallie Durson - wrong as usual 00:37  |  Joe Sittizen 15/06/08
      18.   Stay home Condi 00:43  |  Hilda 15/06/08
      19.   #12 Alan 00:47  |  Janice 15/06/08
      20.   rice 00:50  |  azad 15/06/08
      21.   Rochel - Not When and How 00:53  |  Mark of Lewiston 15/06/08
      22.   Israel will take all the land 00:57  |  Ishmail 15/06/08
      23.   Israel too busy with land grab and does not want peace 00:59  |  Jack 15/06/08
      24.   to David #3 -- what about the 60 year old elephant? 01:05  |  bbl 15/06/08
      25.   Palestinian terror, Israeli settlers` and army terror 01:07  |  Sensible 15/06/08
      26.   Ehat Condi needs to say 01:17  |  Jeff 15/06/08
      27.   RICE STAY HOME. 01:19  |  SAFTALA 15/06/08
      28.   rochel 15 01:46  |  potobac 15/06/08
      29.   This is just window dressing! 01:47  |  lakshmi 15/06/08
      30.   Israel building itself to death 01:50  |  spyguy 15/06/08
      31.   What entitles Palestinians to a Jew-free E. Jerusalem anyway 01:54  |  SDHD 15/06/08
      32.   Ishmail 01:59  |  Janice 15/06/08
      33.   #25: Israel doesn`t want peace! 02:00  |  B 15/06/08
      34.   Jeff from Lala Land 02:04  |  Janice 15/06/08
      35.   who appointed Rice, Housing Minister of Israel? 02:09  |  r 15/06/08
      36.   Just another distraction 02:17  |  Mary 15/06/08
      37.   Our settlements will be massively expanding long after Rice is a 02:29  |  Chaim 15/06/08
      38.   # 31 SDHD 02:31  |  Janice 15/06/08
      39.   HOw will Rice deal with the squatters? 02:42  |  POP 15/06/08
      40.   Condoleeza Rice says she`ll address issue of settlements with Isr 02:44  |  martin list, m.d. 15/06/08
      41.   #26 More ideas for Jeff 02:56  |  Labhras 15/06/08
      42.   Settlement building "a problem" - wrong! 03:34  |  Maureen Ann 15/06/08
      43.   The Clock Is Ticking, Condi 03:42  |  Jeff Northridge 15/06/08
      44.   Condi..Mondi...Address...what... 04:12  |  mohammed 15/06/08
      45.   boo hooo, tell them to stop it Condi 04:30  |  qassam 15/06/08
      46.   How is Israel a Democracy? 04:47  |  Jack 15/06/08
      47.   Israel knows what it will and what it won`t give up 05:12  |  Nechama 15/06/08
      48.   Agreements with the Jews, not worth the paper they`re written on 05:35  |  German Ubberman 15/06/08
      49.   Janice #11 06:34  |  John 15/06/08
      50.   Imposing the Black American Experience 06:39  |  Lovedem Ribz 15/06/08
      51.   Condi upsetting the Apple Cart again 06:43  |  Rozz 15/06/08
      52.   Hashem: Condoleezzas statements are irrelovent 06:44  |  Hashem 15/06/08
      53.   Jack # 46 It Most Certainly Is Debatable 06:47  |  Jeff Northridge 15/06/08
      54.   RICE 06:48  |  colin 15/06/08
      55.   as long as it`s only words 06:55  |  rm 15/06/08
      56.   Blackmail and Legitimacy. 07:16  |  Jean Van Daem 15/06/08
      57.   can`t say they weren`t warned 07:30  |  rm 15/06/08
      58.   Has Condoleeza Rice Nothing Better to do? 07:57  |  Dagma 15/06/08
      59.   To Maureen Ann # 42 - ARABS must go Home 08:03  |  charlie 15/06/08
      60.   Israel does not care 08:53  |  Craig van den Berg 15/06/08
      61.   REPLY TO #42 Maureen Ann 08:56  |  MJ 15/06/08
      62.   No, No, No, there is no problem in building houses in Jerusalem, 08:57  |  Haviva 15/06/08
      63.   America waking up to its collusion in land theft, war 09:07  |  Ivar 15/06/08
      64.   Rice must also address the Human Rights issue 09:43  |  The Archives 15/06/08
      65.   So, if Pals stop the talks,how are they better off? 10:23  |  Sam 15/06/08
      66.   settlements 10:43  |  patrick 15/06/08