Israel has quietly stopped approving new building projects in the West Bank while publicly still refusing US demands for an official settlement freeze, government officials said yesterday.
President Barack Obama's administration has pushed Israel to shelve all settlement construction to allow peace talks to go forward, a demand Israel has said it cannot accept. The issue has grown into a rae public disagreemtn between the two allies.
However, several government officials said yesterday that Israel had decided to temporarily stop greenlighting new projects because of all the international pressure.
The move falls short of the US demand because it doesn't amount to a full freeze.
Still, it could be an indication Israel is seeking a compromise with Washington over the issue.
The decision to temporarily shelve new construction was made jointly by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Housing Minister Ariel Atias, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no formal ruling has been announced.
Ron Nachman, the mayor of the settlement of Ariel, said the government was not allowing any new construction. He said that Netnyahu, elected on a hawkish platform with support from settlers, was now implementing dovish policies that are crippling Ariel and other settlements.
If the policies continue "the goverment's days will be numbered", Nachman said.
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