Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak asked Sunday night if a narrow-right coalition would accept a building freeze for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) and or a process to create a new Arab state inside Israel. Speaking at a party politburo meeting, he said the building freeze was providing an opportunity for the peace process to move up to negotiation status.
Noting that it was the 62nd anniversary of the United Nations Paritition Plan that created modern Israel, he said that the intent was to create two states, one Jewish and one Arab. He added that there were a number of matters in addition to the building freeze that showed the Labor party to be a central force in the coalition.