An agreement to temporarily freeze settlement construction in Judea and Samaria may be imminent, according to recent statements made by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to European officials. Clinton reportedly told the Europeans that she expected them to show support and appreciation for the move by Israel. Israeli and American sources confirmed that the sides were close to reaching an agreement, but said the deal was unlikely to be mentioned publicly during the upcoming Israel visit by U.S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell on Sunday.
A source in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office revealed that there is a belief on the Israeli side that an agreement would require another round of talks with Mitchell because “the gaps have not yet been bridged", JPost reported. The meetings are working off a list supplied by Defense Minister Ehud Barak of 2,500 housing units which are currently under construction and Israel believes cannot be halted.