U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced Wednesday night that the U.S. wants to stop all forms of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. She said that President Barack Obama "wants to see a stop to settlements – not some settlements, not outposts, not natural-growth exceptions." In a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed About Gheit, Clinton said that the Obama administration has stated its position "very clearly, not only to the Israelis, but to the Palestinians and others, and we intend to press that point."
Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who met with Obama Wednesday, explained that a “settlement freeze” is a precondition to peace negotiations with Israel.