Netanyahu: Schism With U.S. Grows Under Obama

Monday, September 14, 2009

Sunday, September 13, 2009 10:40 AM

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by Nasra Ismail and Biodun Iginla, BBC News. Nasra Ismail reported from Jerusalem

JERUSALEM -- An ongoing disagreement between Israel and the U.S. over how to resume Mideast peace talks remains unresolved, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.

Netanyahu delivered his assessment amid a rush of diplomatic activity aimed at bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Netanyahu was set to travel to Egypt later Sunday for talks with President Hosni MubarakPresident Hosni Mubarak, a key mediator between Israel and the Arab world, before meeting Monday with White House Mideast envoy George MitchellGeorge Mitchell. The U.S. envoy is trying to arrange a summit between Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud AbbasPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations next week.

Mitchell has been pushing Israel to halt construction in its West Bank settlements, but Netanyahu has resisted, countering with a proposal to limit settlement construction. It remains unclear whether the Americans will accept the Israeli position.

The Palestinians say they will not resume peace talks without a complete freeze. The international community views settlements as obstacles to peace since they are built on territories claimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state.

"There is still work to do," Netanyahu told his Cabinet. "We have made progress on certain items, there are also certain items on which we have yet to make progress. I hope that we will succeed in reducing the gaps. Maybe we will bridge them, so that we can move the process forward."

Mitchell delivered a similar message Sunday, saying that it was premature to talk of any breakthroughs.

"While we have not yet reached agreement on any outstanding issues, we are working hard to do so, and indeed the purpose of my visit here this week is to attempt to do so," he told Israel's ceremonial president, Shimon PeresShimon Peres.

In Egypt, Netanyahu was expected to talk to Mubarak about possible gestures the Arab world might offer in exchange for a settlement freeze.

Netanyahu also was expected to discuss Egypt's attempts to mediate a prisoner swap between Israel and the Hamas militant group.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, is demanding hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier captured more than three years ago.

Posted by BiodunIginla at 3:53 AM Labels: bbc news. biodun iginla, binjamin netanyahu, biodun iginla Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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