U.S. denies reaching deal with Israel on settlement building

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U.S. denies reaching deal with Israel on settlement building

The United States denied Wednesday that it has reached a compromise that would allow Israel to complete the construction of 2,500 housing units in West Bank settlements.

The Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv had reported earlier in the day that said Israel could finish the 700 buildings.

But U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the report was “inaccurate” and that Washington stood by its position that all settlement activity must end.

“This activity has to stop. This is laid out in the road map” peace plan, Kelly said. “So the reports are inaccurate.”

Earlier Wednesday, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the United States and Israel have been trying to find common ground on the sensitive settlement issue, but he had no comment on the front-page report of a deal.

The report followed a briefing by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his talks in London on Monday with U.S. envoy George Mitchell on ending a rift with Washington over its demand for a settlement freeze.

Western officials said the United States was moving in the direction of making allowances so Israel could finish off at least some existing projects which are close to completion or bound by private contracts that cannot be broken.

“This is a concession to avoid causing undue hardships on individuals” who have signed contracts and have already paid for work that cannot be refunded, one of the officials said, adding that discussions were still under way.

“We’re talking about polishing off things that are basically done,” the official said.

Israel estimates that the 2,500 units are in the process of being built and cannot be stopped under Israeli law.

A report in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, Israel’s most popular newspaper, was more cautious, saying Israel and the United States were “close to an agreement on settlements”. It also cited the same housing figures.

Barak has been seeking a deal with the United States that would include initial steps by Arab states to normalize relations with Israel in return for limiting settlement activity.

Yedioth Ahronoth quoted unidentified cabinet ministers, who attended Barak’s briefing, as saying reports a U.S.-Israeli agreement on settlement had been sealed were wishful thinking on the part of the defense chief.

Palestinian leaders have said U.S.-backed peace negotiations with Israel could not resume unless there was a complete halt to settlement activity in the West Bank, Israeli-occupied territory where they hope to establish a state.

While in London, Barak told reporters that he presented to the Americans “the scope of current construction work, which from a practical point of view can’t be stopped.”

Netanyahu, under U.S. pressure, has pledged not to build new settlements in the West Bank or expropriate more land. Further discussions are planned between Mitchell and Netanyahu as early as next week.

https://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098716.htm

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