Is Netanyahu Reinstating a "Settlement Freeze"?

The news:

'Netanyahu orders freeze of West Bank settlement tenders'

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has ordered a freeze in tenders for West Bank settlement construction amid a US push to renew the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Army Radio reported Tuesday.

Netanyahu reportedly gave the order in a meeting with Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi).

The reaction:

UPDATE

Netanyahu promised Kerry to 'rein in' settlement construction until mid-June

According to senior Israeli officials, Netanyahu pledged to restrain planning and construction in West Bank, East Jerusalem, in light of U.S. efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations...A senior U.S. administration official declined to confirm reports that Netanyahu committed to "rein in" construction, yet said that the reason there is no new construction has to do with facts on the ground: "The fact is that since Obama's visit there are no new announcements and everything is quiet on the ground when it comes to settlement construction," he said. "Everyone is on their best behavior and don’t want to be blamed for preventing the peace talks from being re-launched."

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Saved by Saeb

Saeb Erekat seems to have saved Benjamin Netanyahu - again.

He has rejected a reported construction freeze.

(See my previous post for the story)

PLO official Saeb Erekat has rejected the distinction
between government and private construction in Israeli settlements

As all settlement building on Palestinian lands is illegal under international law, differentiating public and private-led expansion is a "false distinction," a statement from the former chief negotiator said on Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed to freeze government settlement construction in an offer put to President Mahmoud Abbas by Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin on Wednesday, the Israeli daily Haaretz and a Palestinian official said.

But how come if he is a "former", he is till there at the fore?

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Not For Three

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman explaining his approach to negotiating with the Pal. Authority:-

The day before yesterday we heard Mahmoud Abbas say during a meeting that if Israel will freeze construction in the settlements for two or three months then the Palestinians will be ready to resume talks. This is very interesting and very strange. When the Israeli government decided on a moratorium as a unilateral gesture a year ago Abbas and the Palestinians rejected it completely. However, now they are exerting pressure for a moratorium that they previously rejected. The Palestinians wasted nine months and only during the final month entered into negotiations, not with a genuine intention to reach an agreement but rather because the U.S. imposed the process on them.


At least for me, it is clear that they are only looking for excuses to avoid meaningful talks that will lead to a comprehensive solution. The Palestinians are overly confident and are assuming that they have the complete support of the international community. This allows them to think that they will gain more directly from the international community than through negotiations with Israel. As a result, we have the right to wonder about the real intentions of Fatah.

We are ready for immediate talks without preconditions. However, there will be no new moratorium in Jerusalem or Judea and Samaria. Not for three months, not for three days and not even for three hours. The international community needs to understand that there is only one country in our region that respects international norms while standing against waves of unceasing daily terror attacks and incitement.

That's fairly clear, no?
 
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