(AP).Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won't bend on his opposition to a settlement freeze when he meets the American and Palestinian leaders in New York, a top aide said Monday.
The tough Israeli line could signal trouble for Tuesday's summit, where President Barack Obama is bringing together Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in hopes of relaunching peace talks.
Israeli and Palestinian officials, feuding over the ongoing settlement construction in West Bank, have warned that no breakthroughs are expected.
Abbas has refused to resume negotiations without an Israeli commitment to freeze construction in the West Bank, a call echoed by the U.S. administration. The Palestinians say the meeting does not constitute negotiations.
Netanyahu's media adviser, Nir Hefetz, said the prime minister would hold firm to his opposition to a settlement freeze.
"You have never heard the prime minister say that he will freeze settlements. The opposite is true," Hefetz Army Radio ahead of Netanyahu's departure on Monday.
"He sees the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria as a Zionist enterprise and he sees the settlers ... as his brothers, our brothers, and acts accordingly," Hefetz said, using the Hebrew terms for the West Bank.
Though some Israeli leaders may see halting settlement as a constructive step, Hefetz said, "the prime minister is not one of those people."
The tough Israeli line could signal trouble for Tuesday's summit, where President Barack Obama is bringing together Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in hopes of relaunching peace talks.
Israeli and Palestinian officials, feuding over the ongoing settlement construction in West Bank, have warned that no breakthroughs are expected.
Abbas has refused to resume negotiations without an Israeli commitment to freeze construction in the West Bank, a call echoed by the U.S. administration. The Palestinians say the meeting does not constitute negotiations.
Netanyahu's media adviser, Nir Hefetz, said the prime minister would hold firm to his opposition to a settlement freeze.
"You have never heard the prime minister say that he will freeze settlements. The opposite is true," Hefetz Army Radio ahead of Netanyahu's departure on Monday.
"He sees the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria as a Zionist enterprise and he sees the settlers ... as his brothers, our brothers, and acts accordingly," Hefetz said, using the Hebrew terms for the West Bank.
Though some Israeli leaders may see halting settlement as a constructive step, Hefetz said, "the prime minister is not one of those people."
