Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Monday that the proposed freeze on building for Jews in Judea and Samaria is temporary. He did not define how long it will last, explaining that no agreement has been reached with the U.S. government on the length of the freeze.
He said he is stopping most construction in order to set in motion a resumption of talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
"The American government requested that Israel stop all building, but we made it clear that we will build 2,500 new residential units that already have been started," the Prime Minister told the committee. He added, "We will make sure that normal life continues for the residents of Judea and Samaria.”
The proposed building freeze would prohibit Jews from beginning any new building projects, but activists and even residents who generally do not consider themselves “political” continue to build, with or without permits.
The Palestinian Authority demands that Israel stop all new construction, even if the project is as small as adding a porch. It has been backed by U.S. President Barack Obama, who said in his “reaching out to the Muslim” speech in Cairo in June that “settlements are illegitimate.”
However, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that “Jerusalem is not a settlement” and that building will continue there as usual.
His remarks were considered to be more than posturing because U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel Saturday night for talks with the Prime Minister and with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.