Talks between Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and George Mitchell, the US Middle East envoy, are continuing behind closed doors in London amid disagreement over West Bank settlements.
Netanyahu has said he wants an agreement that allows Israel to proceed with some settlement construction and to restart peace talks with Palestinians.
But according to some media reports, George Mitchell may offer the prime minister a tougher US line on Iran’s nuclear programme in return for Israel partially freezing settlement building.
The Guardian newspaper reported that the US, along with Britain and France, is planning to push the UN to include Iran’s oil and gas industry in sanctions against the country, a move that could cripple its economy.
Mitchell has been pressing Israel to halt construction of West Bank settlements as a confidence-building gesture to the Palestinians.
Peace talks
Settlements in the West Bank, which Palestinians want for a future state, are home to 300,000 Israelis, and around 2.5million Palestinians.
Barack Obama, the US president, has said he opposes all settlement construction, while Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has staunchly refused to reopen peace talks until Netanyahu halts all settlement activity.
A survey released on Wednesday showed freezing settlements would be an unpopular move among Jewish Israelis, with almost two-thirds of those questioned by the Maagar Mohot polling company saying they opposed the move.
Netanyahu has said he sees the emphasis on settlements as unfair, and insisted conflict in the Middle East is rooted in Arab enmity towards Israel.
The prime minister, who is travelling from London to Germany later on Wednesday, said he hoped peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians would resume “shortly”.
“We are making headway. My government has taken steps in both words and deeds to move forward,” he said before meeting Mitchell.
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US and Israel spar over settlements
