JERUSALEM, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has put his country on a possible collision course with its
closest ally, the United States, when he made clear his opposition to an
American demand that Israel completely halt expansion of West Bank settlements.
"We will not agree to freeze life in the
settlements," the traditionally hardline Israeli leader told members of the
powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the parliament on Monday.
His remarks came just hours before U.S. President
Barack Obama blasted Israel's settlement activity in the West Bank, including
expanding existing settlements to allow for "natural growth."
"Part of being a good friend is being honest," Obama
told the National Public Radio.
"I think there have been times when we are not as
honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction and the current
trajectory in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests
but also for U.S. interests."
Obama voiced his position ahead of a scheduled trip
to the Middle East, where he would make a key speech on his Middle Eastern
policy in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, but would not stop over at Israel.
"President Obama believes in the positions he is
putting forward. At the same time he needs to be familiarized with the situation
on the ground in the West Bank," said Dore Gold, president of the Jerusalem
Center for Public Affairs, a think tank based in Jerusalem.
"Israeli families are not going to stop having
children and thereby prevent natural growth," said Gold, a former Israeli
ambassador to Washington.
In recent weeks, Obama has held meetings with key
regional leaders, including Netanyahu, Jordanian King Abdullah II and
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
It is widely believed that the U.S. president and the
moderate Arab leaders agree that the best way forward is via the Arab Peace
Initiative, which calls for full Israeli-Arab peace in exchange for a complete
Israeli withdrawal from all the territories it took in the 1967 war.
The return for Israel might also be substantially
larger, as the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Conference could possibly pave
the way for a full normalization of ties between the Jewish state and all Muslim
countries.
However, the key sticking point at the moment is the
settlements. The Jewish state has been building throughout the past four
decades, although the international community, including the United States, has
been condemning Israel's "settlement policy" and demanding an end.
"If eventually Israel and the Palestinians abide by
some agreement, then that is clearly a separate issue, but at the moment Israel
is not permitted to expand any settlement by international law," said Sarit
Michaeli, spokeswoman for B'Tselem, an Israeli rights group monitoring the
occupied territories.
"Bringing it all down into this discussion about
natural growth and allowing kindergartens to be built in settlements is getting
bogged down in minor details and forgetting the larger picture," said Michaeli.
Gold said that the Obama administration needs to
clarify its view on the promises made by the previous U.S. administration under
George W. Bush that Israel would keep major settlement blocs under any peace
agreement with the Palestinians.
Should Obama reaffirm the stance of his predecessor,
who was widely believed to be biased in favor of Israel, "why should the natural
growth in settlement blocs be even up for discussion?" said Gold.
However, some other analysts
stressed that the argument is invalid, as international law makes clear that all
Israeli settlement activities are illegal until a final-status agreement is
signed between Israel and the Palestinians, which does not appear to be in the
offing.
UNITED NATIONS, June 2 (Xinhua) --
Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said here on Tuesday that the current
Israeli government "is fully committed to having a dialogue with Palestinians."
Shalom made the statement to reporters after his
meeting with UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon at the UN Headquarters in New
York. Full story
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
attends a press conference after his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak in Cairo, capital of Egypt, on May 30, 2009 . (Xinhua/Zhang
Ning) Photo
Gallery>>>
CAIRO, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The
visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that his
administration will not resume peace talks with Israel before the latter stops
settlements on occupied lands.
"Palestinians will not resume peace talks with Israel
unless it stops settlements," said Abbas in a press conference hold after
meeting President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday.
"The U.S. view is satisfying, as it based on the
requirements that Israel should stop all forms of settlements including the
normal expansion, and recognize the two-state solution," said Abbas. Full story
RAMALLAH,
May 30 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has presented a document
on settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the U.S. administration when he
met President Barack Obama in Washington, an official Palestinian source said
Saturday.
Abbas's proposal was based on the U.S.-backed Road Map peace
plan, previous agreements reached between Israel and the Palestinian National
Authority (PNA) and the Arab peace initiative, the well-informed source added.
Full story
JERUSALEM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Sunday that new settlements will not be built in
the West Bank, while existing settlements could be expanded due to "natural
growth."
During the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the
government was committed to upholding the law in the West Bank, a reference to
his government's plan to dismantle unauthorized settlement outposts in the
territories. Full story
