Israel makes secret settlement pitch

Ahead of the Obama administration's first U.S.-Palestinian-Israeli summit, Israel has agreed to a partial freeze of settlement construction for six to nine months but still wants to build more than 2,500 new housing units, said Israeli officials...

The private Israeli position, which was described by these three individuals on the condition that they not be named, is at odds with the public stance Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has taken...

What the Israelis are offering is still shy of Mr. Obama's demands. The two Israeli officials and the Israel specialist said Mr. Netanyahu wants to move forward with 2,500 to 3,000 housing units already approved and to exempt East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians foresee as a future capital, from the freeze...

Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, Mr. Obama's envoy on the Arab-Israeli conflict, has been shuttling for months to try to choreograph simultaneous concessions by both sides.

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition that he not be named because the negotiations are continuing, said Mr. Mitchell has received private assurances from some Gulf Arab and North African states to grant over-flight rights to Israeli jets, open interest sections in Israel and end a travel ban against Israelis if Israel freezes settlement construction. Saudi Arabia, guardian of Islam's holiest sites, has not agreed to these steps absent a peace agreement.

"Thus far, the Arabs have stiffed Obama and the Israelis in their own exquisite way are stiffing him," said Aaron David Miller, a former senior Middle East adviser to six U.S. secretaries of state. "He is not getting a comprehensive settlement freeze. In fact, over the next 18 months, it may look like a construction boom; 2,500 to 3,000 new units is a lot of construction and to boot the Israelis will never agree to anything on Jerusalem."

It wasn't supposed to be this hard. A speech here, a speech there and all would be well.

When one gives up “land for peace” eventually they'll end up with neither.

2 posted on 09/22/2009 2:38:37 AM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult (The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)

Hehe, a ‘partial freeze’ of 2500 units. Oh you wascelly Zionists :0)

3 posted on 09/22/2009 4:48:12 AM PDT by agere_contra (The Democrats use Black people as human shields.)

Covenant with Sheol

4 posted on 09/22/2009 4:57:05 AM PDT by RoadTest ( Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols - Psalm 97:12a)

To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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5 posted on 09/22/2009 5:57:00 AM PDT by SJackson (In wine there is wisdom, In beer there is freedom, In water there is bacteria.)

You... you... you mean, it takes more than a nicely written speech read from a teleprompter to achieve peace?!?!? Whoda thunk it????

6 posted on 09/22/2009 10:17:55 AM PDT by chaimke

Wutamaroon. Gets ‘em every time.
//
O-

7 posted on 09/22/2009 4:24:49 PM PDT by Eleutheria5 (www.publishedauthors.net/benmaxwell/index.html, http://sites.google.com/site/thevuzvuz/)

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