Israel differs with US over peace talks
JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking before a key meeting with the White House Mideast envoy, said Sunday that differences remain with the U.S. over resuming peacemaking with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu, whose Likud Party is ideologically committed to expanding settlements and holding on to the West Bank, has been bargaining for a compromise that would allow some building to continue.
Navigating a thin line between the conflicting demands of his supporters at home on the one hand, and the U.S. and Palestinians on the other, Netanyahu and his government last week approved construction of several hundred new apartments in West Bank settlements and several hundred more in a Jewish neighborhood in east Jerusalem.
At the same time, his office indicated openness to a limited freeze. Media reports say Israel might agree to halt construction for nine months, but would insist on completing the 2,500 to 3,000 housing units already begun.