(Haaretz).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is soon going to announce a complete freeze in West Bank settlement construction for 10 months, Army Radio quoted former Meretz chairman Yossi Beilin as saying on Wednesday.
The move would be a bid to renew peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, which has refused to negotiate with Israel while it continues to build in the West Bank.
But Beilin was quoted as adding that he believed Netanyahu would not propose a halt to construction in Jerusalem, which he said the Palestinians would still fiercely oppose.
The former lawmaker made the comments during a ceremony at the home of the French ambassador. During the ceremony, he warned that the PA may collapse in the wake of the failure of U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy, George Mitchell, to relaunch peace talks, Israel Radio reported.
The move would be a bid to renew peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, which has refused to negotiate with Israel while it continues to build in the West Bank.
But Beilin was quoted as adding that he believed Netanyahu would not propose a halt to construction in Jerusalem, which he said the Palestinians would still fiercely oppose.
The former lawmaker made the comments during a ceremony at the home of the French ambassador. During the ceremony, he warned that the PA may collapse in the wake of the failure of U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy, George Mitchell, to relaunch peace talks, Israel Radio reported.