PM to okay more West Bank houses before moratorium

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon approve the construction of hundreds of new housing units in West Bank settlements before he declares a moratorium on building in those locales, according to a senior government source.

The source from the prime minister's bureau said last night that Netanyahu informed U.S. officials of his decision to authorize the construction a few weeks ago.

The immediate future of construction in West Bank settlements will be determined in talks between Israeli officials and the Middle East envoy of U.S. President Barack Obama, George Mitchell, who will visit Israel next week. The issue could be decided in Mitchell's two-day visit, which will begin on Thursday, according to the source.

The hundreds of units whose construction Netanyahu is expected to approve will join some 2,500 housing units currently being built, whose construction will not be halted.

Officials from the prime minister's bureau said Netanyahu "will agree to consider a temporary freeze on construction in the West Bank for a few months after he approves the additional building permits.

In closed talks, Netanyahu has said that he will be prepared to go ahead with the move to promote Obama's peace plan and jump-start stalled peace talks.

"The Americans do not agree with [the approval of new housing units] and are not happy about it, but we put it on the table a long time ago," the source told Haaretz.

The precise length of the moratorium is still subject to debate, and the U.S. and Israel are negotiating on this issue. Netanyahu does not agree to a freeze exceeding a period of six months, while the Americans are insisting on a nine-month period.

In addition, Netanyahu wants to exclude 2,500 housing units on which construction has already started, and the construction of schools and other public structures in the settlements. Israel is demanding that the Palestinian Authority and Arab states make their own concessions in exchange for a freeze.

The moratorium would not apply to East Jerusalem, but Israel would refrain from taking "provocative action" in the framework of the agreement being negotiated with the Americans. A senior source from the U.S. administration who is involved in Mitchell's work told Haaretz Thursday that Israel and the U.S. are close to achieving an understanding on these issues.

The source added that several Arab states have pledged gestures toward Israel, including opening Israeli diplomatic missions in their territory, holding senior-level meetings between Arab leaders and Israeli counterparts, holding direct telephone conversations between leaders of Arab states and Israeli leaders, and El Al flights to Arab airports.

These concessions apparently include granting permission to Israeli civilian planes to fly through the airspace of several Arab states. Each Arab country has pledged a different gesture toward Israel, the American source said.

"A deal with Israel on the issue of construction in the settlements is crucial," the source added. "Netanyahu's actions will determine the future of his relationship with President Obama, so this is a crucial trial."

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas yesterday said he would not meet Netanyahu until construction in the settlements is halted - a position he has expressed in the past. However, Abbas may find himself under pressure to back down from this pledge if Israel and the U.S. work out a deal which allows some Israeli construction.

The majority of members of Fatah, the Palestinian faction which Abbas heads, oppose renewing talks with Israel while it is building in the West Bank. The Palestinians are also seeking a total freeze on construction in East Jerusalem.