Gov’t rejects extended freeze, despite heavy pressure

[azurnoir]

Despite considerable pressure from both the US and Egypt to continue the settlement construction moratorium for another three months, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s senior ministers, a forum known as the septet, decided this week not to extend the freeze.

Since a cabinet decision was needed to put the freeze into effect last November, another cabinet decision would be needed to extend it, and the septet decided, before Netanyahu’s meeting in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, not to ask for an extension.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak reportedly was in favor of an American compromise to extend the moratorium for three months in order to come to an agreement with the Palestinian Authority on final borders, so that it would then be clear where Israel would, and would not, be able to build.

Clinton, however, reiterated in a Channel 10 interview that the US still wanted to see the moratorium extended, although she said she understood Netanyahu’s argument that the PA did not take advantage of the moratorium in place for the last 9-1/2 months to enter into talks.

“The United States believes that we need to establish an environment that is conducive to negotiations,” Clinton said when asked about the moratorium.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=188451

[Jim Sagle]

1. Good.

[Tripmann]

2. So you support the contravening of international law?

[Jim Sagle]

3. I support give and take during negotiations - a quality in short supply in these talks.

[Tripmann]

4. So you did not support the expansion of settlements prior to the peace talks?

[Jim Sagle]

5. I took no position on it.

Nor did I issue a clarification afterwards. :boring:

[Tripmann]

6. LOL!. You took one quick enough when you supported illegal activity by israel during the peace talks

[Djinn]

7. Mostly moot anyway

I couldn't count the number of working cranes I saw all over the West Bank in March when the 'freeze' was allegedly in effect. The Palestinians who were losing land every day didn't care that technically the permits fir that construction snuck in before the freeze or that it was providing for 'natural growth' what they cared about was what was actually happening, namely the ongoing theft of their land. This is all of course ignoring the fact that many settlers particularly the uber right religious nutbag ones couldn't give a stuff what rules Tel Aviv lay down, they know full well they can ignore them with impunity.