Israeli premier Netanyahu declares 10-month freeze on West Bank settlement construction

Netanyahu declares 10-month settlement freeze

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared a 10-month halt in new construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Netanyahu says the step is designed to “encourage resumption of peace talks with our Palestinian neighbors.”

He made a televised statement late Wednesday after his Security Cabinet approved the move.

However, Palestinians rejected the freeze before Netanyahu’s announcement because it does not include Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim for their future capital.

“Israel’s government has made an important step toward peace today,” Netanyahu said. “Let us make peace together.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Officials in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office say the Security Cabinet has approved a 10-month freeze in new construction in West Bank settlements, but without including disputed areas of Jerusalem.

The officials said the vote was 11-1 in favor of the freeze. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no statement has been released. Earlier, Netanyahu said the halt was designed to restart peace talks with the Palestinians, who demanded a total halt to settlement construction before returning to the negotiating table.

Netanyahu was due to convene a news conference to explain the decision.

Palestinians already rejected the move before the vote because the freeze does not include construction in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their future capital.

The U.S. stance appeared to be the key to the issue. Palestinians charge that the Obama administration has been vacillating over the settlement construction issue, first demanding a total halt, then appearing to side with Israel in agreeing to limited building.

Until Wednesday, Netanyahu resisted declaring a freeze beyond his pledge not to build new settlements. Netanyahu has said that peace talks must resume without preconditions, and issues like settlements should be discussed in negotiations.

Israel has been under heavy international pressure to halt its construction in settlements built on captured lands claimed by the Palestinians. Some 300,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, in addition to about 180,000 people living in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.

Netanyahu earlier floated the idea of suspending construction in existing settlements. Wednesday’s offer was the first time he has given a firm timeline for how long he is willing to stop the building.

Palestinian presidential adviser Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the proposed freeze would be unacceptable if it didn’t include east Jerusalem.

“Any Israeli offer that doesn’t include Jerusalem will be rejected immediately,” he said in a phone interview from Argentina, where he was traveling with President Mahmoud Abbas. “No Palestinian, no Arab can cross this line.”

Netanyahu, a traditional ally of the settler movement, has argued that some construction should be permitted to allow for “natural growth” in their communities. His latest offer applies only to “new construction permits” — meaning that some 3,000 homes already approved for construction would not be affected.

More critically, it did not make any mention of east Jerusalem. The competing claims to the eastern part of the city — home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites — is the most intractable issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem its eternal capital, and Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will not agree to share control of the city.