Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that his country would not extend a 10-month slowdown in West Bank settlement construction that is set to expire in late September.
Netanyahu said his Cabinet declared the slowdown to encourage Palestinians to negotiate with Israel directly, instead of through a U.S. mediator, and that after stalling for more than seven months the Palestinians were now asking for more time.
“This is unacceptable. The decision is limited in time. This has not changed and that’s how it will be,” Netanyahu told an Israeli parliamentary committee on July 26, according to a participant who spoke on condition of anonymity because the session was closed.
Palestinians oppose Jewish construction in areas where they hope to build their future state and have refused to resume direct peace talks with Israel until settlement construction halts completely. About 300,000 Jewish settlers live among some 2.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, U.S. envoy George Mitchell told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he needs to move to direct talks with Israel quickly if he wants President Barack Obama’s help establishing a Palestinian state. — ap