JERUSALEM — The Israeli government has effectively frozen new Jewish construction in Jerusalem’s disputed eastern sector, municipal officials said Monday. The decision was made despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public insistence that building would not be stopped in the face of U.S. pressure.
It remained unclear whether the slowdown constituted a formal moratorium or how long it would last, but the move reflected Netanyahu’s need to mend a serious rift with the U.S. over Israeli construction on lands the Palestinians claim for a future state as Washington tries to bring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.
In an interview Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signaled he would be ready to start indirect peace talks with Israel, after weeks of hesitation. The U.S. has proposed talks between Israel and the Palestinians, with President Barack Obama’s envoy as go-between, and in recent days Washington had stepped up efforts to coax Abbas back to the table.
Abbas told Israel’s Channel 2 TV he will present the U.S. proposal to the Arab League this week and that “we hope that the reply will be positive.”
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Efrat Orbach claimed a weeks-long delay in reviewing plans for new construction was nothing more than a bureaucratic issue. Nonetheless, signs of the freeze drew angry criticism from hard-line lawmakers, including a member of Netanyahu’s own party who warned that the government could collapse over the matter.
Construction in east Jerusalem has been a major sticking point since Israel infuriated Washington last month by announcing a major new east Jerusalem housing development during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley wouldn’t discuss what Israel was telling the United States about Jewish construction but said the U.S. has asked Israel and the Palestinians to take steps to rebuild trust.
“We’re not going to go into details about what we’ve asked them to do, but obviously this is an important issue in the atmosphere to see the advancement of peace,” Crowley said.
