(AFP) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the BBC today that the strong US reaction to Israeli settlement plans is "paying off" as Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are expected to resume.
Speaking to the BBC and other media, the chief US diplomat sounded upbeat after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned her while she was in Moscow on Thursday to answer her concerns she raised with him last week.
"What I heard from the prime minister in response for the request we made was useful and productive, and we're continuing our discussions with him and his government," Clinton told AFP and other reporters in Moscow.
"It's one of the reasons Senator (George) Mitchell will be going back to the region and meeting with him in just a few days," Clinton said.
(Ynet).The prime minister will inform Mitchell, and possibly the Israeli public as well, of the series of gestures he agreed to in order to facilitate the proximity talks with the Palestinians.
The gestures will apparently include much stricter supervision by the PM himself over east Jerusalem construction. According to senior government ministers, this would mean a slowdown in Jewish construction - both government-funded and private - beyond the Green Line in Jerusalem.
The gestures will also include several steps meant to boost Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, such as a prisoner release.
Over the weekend, the prime minister worked on drafting his speech at the AIPAC Conference next week. Netanyahu's aides said that the speech will be "powerful and significant" and will likely deal with Israel-US ties in an effort to allay the recent tensions as result of Israel's construction announcement in east Jerusalem during President Joe Biden's visit.
Speaking to the BBC and other media, the chief US diplomat sounded upbeat after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned her while she was in Moscow on Thursday to answer her concerns she raised with him last week.
"What I heard from the prime minister in response for the request we made was useful and productive, and we're continuing our discussions with him and his government," Clinton told AFP and other reporters in Moscow.
"It's one of the reasons Senator (George) Mitchell will be going back to the region and meeting with him in just a few days," Clinton said.
(Ynet).The prime minister will inform Mitchell, and possibly the Israeli public as well, of the series of gestures he agreed to in order to facilitate the proximity talks with the Palestinians.
The gestures will apparently include much stricter supervision by the PM himself over east Jerusalem construction. According to senior government ministers, this would mean a slowdown in Jewish construction - both government-funded and private - beyond the Green Line in Jerusalem.
The gestures will also include several steps meant to boost Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, such as a prisoner release.
Over the weekend, the prime minister worked on drafting his speech at the AIPAC Conference next week. Netanyahu's aides said that the speech will be "powerful and significant" and will likely deal with Israel-US ties in an effort to allay the recent tensions as result of Israel's construction announcement in east Jerusalem during President Joe Biden's visit.
