Israel rejects Obama's call over settlement work

[d0b33]

Israel rejects US call over settlement work

Israel will continue to allow some construction in West Bank settlements despite US calls for a freeze on its work, a government spokesman says.

Mark Regev said the fate of the settlements should be decided in peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

His remarks appear to be a rebuff to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said all such activity should cease.

Her comments came hours before Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was due to meet US President Barack Obama.

Mrs Clinton said on Wednesday there must be no exceptions to President Obama's demands for Israel's settlement work to stop.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with her Egyptian counterpart, Mrs Clinton said that the president was "very clear" with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at their recent meeting that there should be a stop to all settlements.

"Not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions," Mrs Clinton said.

"We think it is in the best interest of the effort that we are engaged in that settlement expansion cease."

Correspondents say it is the first time in years that US officials have been so vocal in calling for a settlement freeze in the Palestinian territories.

Stumbling block

Mr Regev said on Thursday that the future of the settlements would be decided only when peace negotiations were held with the Palestinians.

"In the interim period, we have to allow normal life in those communities to continue," he said.

He was echoing comments made by Mr Netanyahu on Sunday.

Mr Netanyahu said no new settlements would be built, but natural growth in existing settlements should be allowed.

"There is no way that we are going to tell people not to have children or to force young people to move away from their families," he was quoted as telling the Israeli cabinet.


WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS
Construction of settlements began in 1967, shortly after the Six Day War
Some 280,000 Israelis now live in the 121 officially-recognised settlements in the West Bank
A further 190,000 Israelis live in settlements in Palestinian East Jerusalem
The largest West Bank settlement is Ma'ale Adumim, where more than 30,000 people were living in 2005
There are a further 102 unauthorised outposts in the West Bank which are not officially recognised by Israel
The population of West Bank settlements has been growing at a rate of 5-6% since 2001
Source: Peace Now

However, he pledged to remove makeshift outposts in the West Bank - small settlements, sometimes with only a few people - that the Israeli government itself considers illegal.

"We will take care of them, if possible by dialogue," he said. "There is no doubt that we have committed ourselves to deal with them."

The issue of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to President Obama's bid to resume the Middle East peace process.

The Palestinian Authority says it has ruled out restarting peace talks with Israel unless it freezes settlement activity and removes all roadblocks in the West Bank.

President Abbas is expected to reiterate the conditions during talks at the White House with Mr Obama.

Some 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

Under the US-backed 2003 roadmap peace plan, Israel is obliged to end all settlement activity, specifically including natural growth.

The plan also requires the Palestinian Authority to crack down on militants who seek to attack Israelis.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8071491.stm

 

[noxibox]

Of course they don't want to cease settlement growth. It forms an integral part of their strategy to provoke a violent response from the Palestinians, which they then use as an excuse for their own violent response.

 

[krycor]

Natural growth my ass I love that exception they pushing because they know how they abuse it. You can say what u want, but its good the palestinian people aren't prepared to accept that.

Like i said earlier.. good luck trying to get israel to change. And in the end there can be no peace when this sort of thing goes on.

 

[zippy]

well, that's what they voted for...... and we all know what the Palestinians voted for when they voted for Hamas. Clearly neither side wants peace. They are just stringing the rest of the world along for aid and weapons.

 

[krycor]

btw reason i said that about natural growth is because they incl. foreign people settling there.(so its not birth rate related as it kinda leads one on with the choice of words).

Well they must still vote, which is why this is making news. Hamas was NOT voted in, in the west bank(yet because its hard to justify the peace process further)

 

[Alan]

Of course they don't want to cease settlement growth. It forms an integral part of their strategy to provoke a violent response from the Palestinians, which they then use as an excuse for their own violent response.

Against other Palestinians. Yes makes sense

 

[Cable_Guy]

Israel & its problems are unique to themselves; they will not take outside advice nor allow outsiders to intervene. We can only hope some amicable solution eventually manifests itself, that satisfies all parties involved.

 

[Zana]

*faints* and the plot thickens, what need to be done here is forgive and forget and start a new slate anda new state Israelstine/Palisrael... this is going to loop again and again more scars more sore more hate and more anger where Love could have been implemented... Its the people they should think of not land claims , borders and nonesense like that. If Israelis embrace Palastines and Palastines embrace israelies for they all the same people, just different beliefs and culture.. Why dig up the past and bring it into the future where the future is to start a new page in the book.. ?
Love and huggles..
I dont know...
The polititians supposedly know better(realy?, bringing up past of who claims what? when children are being born and braught up what is considered home?? ), Israel/Palastine (Palisrael/Israelstine) has always been the heart of the planet, If they set the example right, the rest of the planet will follow into Love and Peace.
♥
why am i writing this? dont know... to them I am just an outsider, but then again the US is also an outsider ? its like wtf.. dont people realize and think on things deeper than themselves ?
Be Israeli and Palistine the same time is the solution.. and dont forget True Love brings True Peace, and with the huggles and cuddles...
Lotsa love and huggles.
♥