JERUSALEM — New details emerged Sunday about Israeli plans to expand Jewish settler enclaves, as Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak prepared to head to Washington this week to ease friction with the Obama administration over settlement construction.
The Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported that Barak will propose freezing new construction for three months while allowing the completion of late-stage projects. Barak, who leaves for Washington today, later released a statement saying that proposal had not been finalized.
The Obama administration has delivered an unequivocal message on settlement construction: It must stop, without exception, because the U.S. feels it hurts Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking and Obama’s efforts to mend fences with the Arab world.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed his own meeting with Washington’s top Mideast envoy last week to give his emissaries more time to try to bridge the gaps. Netanyahu recently yielded to U.S. pressure to endorse Palestinian statehood, albeit with tough conditions, but he has stood firm on resisting a settlement freeze.
by the associated press
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