U.S. backs down on settlement freeze demand
The United States had reportedly backed down from its demands that Israel should freeze all of its settlement activities in the occupied West Bank to restart the peace process. Israeli sources reported that the decision came as Israel remained determined on its stance rejecting settlement freeze.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated after a meeting with the German President, Horst Koehle, that the Palestinians must hold talks with Israel without any preconditions.
His statements disregard the fact that Israeli, Jewish only settlements, are built on Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank.
U.S. State Department spokesperson, P. J. Crowley, stated that the United States wants to restart the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and that they are the ones who decide the outline of the peace process.
Crowley added that the goal is to have formal negotiations started in order to advance towards a comprehensive peace deal in the Middle East.
A Wednesday meeting in London between Netanyahu and U.S. Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, ended without any progress as Netanyahu insisted on what he called Israel's right to build settlements.
Israeli delegates would be heading to New York next week for further talks with Mitchell.
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