Israel wages campaign to win support for settlement freeze
Foreign Ministry envoys get orders to work with politicians, media outlets to win endorsements for plan.
By Barak Ravid Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu Israel settlements Israel Foreign Ministry Israel newsThe 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.
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.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
doses! Probably a self taught expert in dillusion as well!....PEACE EVER?
you can only freeze something if is already in motion - if it is not moving , then why does it have to freezed ? So israel proposes to to stop the construction work that it is PLANNING to do but not stop the contruction of illegal settlements that it is cuurently doing... And in 10 months time , when it is finished with the 'freezing' of the work it was in the proccess of PLANNING to do , the execution of such planning will take place by commecement of de facto construction. And the brilliant minds in the Israeli foreign affairs department will now attempt to sell this plan to all the idiots of the world ..... Sorry , but we spot you coming light miles away.
"Today's announcement by the government of Israel helps move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," - Hillary Only if acts follow the words. Attorney General Mazuz has already announced that he will be unable to enforce any settlement freeze. The IDF unit which would have to enforce it is in near mutiny over the issue of thwarting Settlers in any way. No one will believe Netanyahu until the see a real freeze and not just another lie.
"Unless Israel withdraws from the West Bank and dismantles the settlements it will negate the possibility for a two state solution, " Here's a possibility -- the Palestinians accept a state on less than 100% of the territories. Why is that so farfetched?
Unless Israel withdraws from the West Bank and dismantles the settlements it will negate the possibility for a two state solution, leaving two possibilities - ethnic cleansing or a bi-national state. Here's hoping the international community doesn't allow the former, but the latter will surely mean the end of Israel as a Jewish State. In that light any effort to cease and reverse settlement promotes Israel's continued existence. But fear not! The settlement freeze is a sham, since as Netanyahu said, "We will not halt existing construction and we will continue to build synagogues, schools, kindergartens and public buildings essential for normal life. We do not put any restrictions on building in our sovereign capital."
The world is cooperating with the Islamic aim of bringing down Israel. Why would they care about one small country with no natural resources and no voting bloc. If Israel doesn't defend itself, nobody will.
Don't you mean Settlement Authorization Freeze? So everyone just save up your authorization requests for ten months and then submit them all. The ones we have now should carry us until then. I'm going to try that with my neighbor. I promise not to use anything in his house without his permission unless I had previously agreed with myself to use it without his permission. I won't start agreeing with myself to use more things of his (without his permission) until later when I've finished using the current things. I think he'll be happy with that and want to owe me a favor. Yay, diplomacy!