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Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
Netanyahu defies Obama on Israeli settlement freeze | |
2009-05-25 | |
JERUSALEM, May 24 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rebuffed U.S. calls to impose a freeze on all settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, setting the stage for friction with President Barack Obama. "We do not intend to build any new settlements, but it wouldn't be fair to ban construction to meet the needs of natural growth or for there to be an outright construction ban," Netanyahu told his cabinet, according to officials. The note of defiance came less than a week after Netanyahu held talks in Washington with Obama, who wants Israel to halt all settlement activity, including natural growth, as called for under a long-stalled peace "road map". Netanyahu's comments reaffirmed a position he took in his bid for the premiership in a February election. By natural growth, Israel refers to construction within the boundaries of existing settlements to accommodate growing families. Obama was expected to prod Netanyahu and Obama has surprised Israel with his activism on the settlement issue, but it is unclear how much pressure he will put on Netanyahu to freeze construction entirely, Israeli and Western officials said. Former President George W. Bush called for a freeze but building continued largely unchecked, Israeli anti-settlement advocacy groups say. Half a million Jews live in settlement blocs and smaller outposts built in the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem, all territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War. The World Court says all are illegal. The United States and European Union regard them as obstacles to peace. Palestinians see the settlements as a land grab meant to deny them a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu has so far balked at committing to entering negotiations with the Palestinians on territorial issues. A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu's government hoped to sidestep U.S. pressure by committing to uproot smaller hilltop outposts built without official authorisation, a step also set by the road map. "Moving on outposts is relatively easy" compared to freezing growth of larger settlements, which Israel wants to keep as part of any future peace deal, the Israeli official said. | |
Posted by:Steve White |
#6 Nah, they just realise Obama's an empty/stufed shirt, and are ignoring him. (Absolute death to politicians, when they're ignored) Now watch Obama implode with impotent anger. He'll lash out at anybody and everybody just to be considered "Important" again. Just stand aside and watch him fume , burn, and fizzle away. |
Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-25 15:04 |
#5 No Korea just showed the way - tell BHO to f*ck off |
Posted by: Frank G 2009-05-25 10:23 |
#4 He effectively told that POS coward in the WH to sit down and STFU. Good job!! |
Posted by: Zorba 2009-05-25 09:30 |
#3 Obama is no friend of Israel. "I will stand with the muslims..." They should realize this and act accordingly. |
Posted by: Hellfish 2009-05-25 09:11 |
#2 I won. |
Posted by: Bibi 2009-05-25 08:19 |
#1 So, does it mean Bibi goes on Obama's black list alongside Rush? |
Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-05-25 05:04 |