'Let us make peace,' says PM in announcing settlement freeze

[Chris]

'Let us make peace,' says PM in announcing settlement freeze
By JPOST.COM STAFF, KHALED ABU TOAMEH AND AP

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced a ten-month settlement freeze at a Jerusalem press conference on Wednesday evening after the security cabinet approved the plan, and called on the Palestinians to make peace with Israel. He said the move was a "far-reaching and painful step," designed to "encourage resumption of peace talks with our Palestinian neighbors." "We authorize it from a deep desire to move forward toward peace," he said, adding that Israel hoped it would lead to "meaningful negotiations" toward a "historic peace agreement" with the Palestinians.

Concerning Jerusalem, the prime minister said his position was "well known," that "we won't put any restrictions on building in our sovereign capital." "Israel's government has made an important step toward peace today," Netanyahu said. "Let us make peace together." Eleven security cabinet members voted in favor of the settlement freeze with only Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau opposing it.

more................PM: 10-month settlement freeze 'painful step' | Israel | Jerusalem Post

[Chris]

US welcomes settlement moratorium
By AP AND JPOST.COM STAFF

The Obama administration welcomed Israel's decision Wednesday to freeze new construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank temporarily as a step toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued an approving statement moments after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced in Jerusalem the launching of a 10-month moratorium on settlements in the West Bank. "Today's announcement by the government of Israel helps move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Clinton said. "We believe that through good-faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements."

At the State Department, the administration's special envoy for Middle East peace, former Sen. George Mitchell, told a news conference that the Israeli decision could mark a step toward restarting peace talks. "It falls short of a full settlement freeze, but it is more than any Israeli government has done before and can help movement toward agreement between the parties," Mitchell said.

more..............Washington welcomes settlement freeze | International News | Jerusalem Post

[Chris]

Mitchell: 'We hope for substantial progress on all permanent status issues' | Headlines News | Jerusalem Post

Mitchell: 'We hope for substantial progress on all permanent status issues'
By JPOST.COM STAFF

US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, responding to the security cabinet decision to freeze settlement construction for 10 months, said on Wednesday that he hopes that the freeze would be a first step toward a "total commitment to comprehensive peace in the Middle East." Mitchell was confident that the differing views of the parties could be reconciled through good faith negotiations.

[Chris]

PA: Israeli Settlement Freeze Not Enough
by Hana Levi Julian and Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority officials expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's unprecedented decision to stop Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria for ten months. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas released a statement through his spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, saying the freeze in Judea and Samaria was inadequate because it did not include Jerusalem. This, while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was facing calls from within his own party to resign and from within his own government to recant the freeze.

"Jerusalem is the red line for the Palestinians and Arabs," Abu Rudaineh told reporters at a news conference in Argentina, where he and Abbas are travelling. "Any return to negotiations must be on the basis of a complete settlement freeze, and in Jerusalem foremost."

more..............PA: Israeli Settlement Freeze Not Enough - Politics & Gov't - Israel News - Israel National News

[Chris]

Sounds like Bibi needs to reverse this announcement that he is going halt construction. It is apparent that nothing is good enough for the Palestinians and that they will not be satisfied until they have everything. I'd be the first one to tell them where they can put it. I can see exactly why Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 have to occur one day. The Palestinians will reap what they've sown.

[Chris]

US: Lukewarm Praise for Building Freeze
by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) The United States responded with lukewarm praise Wednesday night to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's announcement of a "painful but necessary" decision to freeze all new construction in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria in a last-ditch attempt to revive final status talks with the Palestinian Authority. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded within moments of Netanyahu's announcement, issuing a statement of approval for the decision. Middle East envoy George Mitchell added minutes later at a news briefing in Washington D.C. that "it falls short of a full settlement freeze," but still is "more than any other Israeli government has done before."

Clinton said in her statement, issued from her office at the State Department, that the decision by Israel's Security Cabinet would help "move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," although she made a point of including the list of conditions Israel has yet to meet in order to satisfy the Obama administration's vision for Middle East peace. "We believe that through good-faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements," said Clinton.

more..............US: Lukewarm Praise for Building Freeze - Politics & Gov't - Israel News - Israel National News

[Chris]

Yes, siree. Bibi needs to reverse course on his construction halt announcement and then the Us and Abbas will come groveling back begging for him to halt it again. This is what happens when you appease the Palestinians and the Islamic US administration.

[Chris]

Nationalists to Netanyahu: Resign - Politics & Gov't - Israel News - Israel National News

Nationalists to Netanyahu: Resign
by Malkah Fleisher

(IsraelNN.com) Calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation were resounding throughout the Nationalist camp Wednesday, following a vote by Netanyahu's Security Cabinet to implement a 10-month building freeze in Judea and Samaria. In a televised speech, Netanyahu said the "painful step" to constrict Jewish growth in the Biblical heartland is being taken to "encourage resumption of peace talks with our Palestinian neighbors." Head of the Samaria Regional Council, Gershon Mesika, accused Netanyahu of deceiving Israeli voters and said he must resign. "I am ashamed and embarrassed that the Likud chairman is working exactly the opposite of the platform on which his name was chosen and is strangling settlement in a way even the most extreme left governments did not do," Mesika said.

Likud member and Zionist activist Moshe Feiglin warned that the building freeze, which halts all new housing development, is a sign of Netanyahu's future intention to abandon the Golan and divide Jerusalem. "The writing on the wall is clear," said Feiglin. "Anyone who participates in this objective proves he did not learn a thing from the crime of the expulsion [of Jews] from Gush Katif." "I'm calling to anybody to whom the nation of Israel and the future of the state are dear, to join the Likud in order to replace Netanyahu with a leader who has a G-d."

Another Likud member, Information and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein, said the impact of the freeze would effectively be a "childbirth freeze" and would lead to the transfer of Jews who want to settle in the Land of Israel. "I will not lend my hand to this process that will ultimately endanger the security of Israel and won't bring us even a tiny bit closer to peace," said Edelstein. The Women in Green organization led by activist Nadia Matar accused Netanyahu of strengthening the vehemently anti-Israel president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The group said, "You grew the Iranian threat, you were the first to blink, you demonstrated weakness."

Jewish Home faction chairman and Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev announced that his party - a member of the government coalition - would try alternative political measures to crack the freeze. He called upon MKs from the Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) and Shas parties to unite in an effort to stop the slide down the slippery slope of the building freeze.

[Keith]

For when they say peace and safety.....!!

[Chris]

MK Danon: Netanyahu and Barak Leading Us to Civil War - News Briefs - Israel National News

MK Danon: Netanyahu and Barak Leading Us to Civil War
Reported: 00:06 AM - Nov/26/09

(IsraelNN.com) At an emergency meeting of the national camp, following the Prime Minister's announcement concerning freezing construction in Judea and Samaria, Likud MK Danny Danon attacked the decision saying "Netanyahu and Barak are leading us to civil war. The message today is the beginning of the end. The cat is out of the bag. If this is not a sign of things to come - what is? It seems that Netanyahu and Barak are selling out Judea and Samaria just as Sharon did with Gush Katif".

[Chris]

Archives: Netanyahu in August 'No Freeze' - News Briefs - Israel National News

Archives: Netanyahu in August 'No Freeze'
Reported: 22:30 PM - Nov/25/09

(IsraelNN.com) While the Israeli cabinet voted Wednesday to accept Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s proposal to accept a ten month freeze in Judea and Samaria only three months ago he promised such a freeze would not occur. While speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, on August 14th, Netanyahu said that there would not be a complete freeze on Jewish building in Yesha. "The Palestinians expect a complete halt to building; it is now clear that this will not happen...Two days ago, we authorized 450 additional units."

[Chris]

PA, Hamas Don’t Accept Freeze - News Briefs - Israel National News

PA, Hamas Don’t Accept Freeze
Reported: 22:20 PM - Nov/25/09

(IsraelNN.com) The PA and the Hamas have both rejected Netanyahu’s ten month freeze on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria as insufficient. Hamas said the decision is "cosmetic without content". Sami Abu Zuhur, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said that the PA should not to be tempted to agree to resume negotiations with Israel based on the freeze. Meanwhile spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas said that "Jerusalem for Arabs is a red line that can not be crossed, we will not accept any situation in which Jerusalem is not part of the freeze.”

[Chris]

Lieberman: We'll resume construction at end of 10 months - Israel News, Ynetnews

Lieberman: We'll resume construction at end of 10 months
Published: 11.25.09, 22:10 / Israel News

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman commented on the settlement freeze issue during the cabinet meeting and said that Israel has a commitment to Jewish settlers in the West Bank. "At the end of 10 months we shall resume construction," Lieberman said. National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau, who voted against the freeze, warned that the US will reiterate its demand to stop construction at the end of the moratorium. "They should be told that this is our homeland and our country." (Roni Sofer)

[Daniel64]

Chris, thanks for the update.
The perpetual hatred toward the Jews. They are not suffice whatever peace process that Israel is offered to them.

But God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob is with Israel. God bless Israel.