Israel Matzav: Netanyahu offers 9 months, US drops Jerusalem demand

Netanyahu offers 9 months, US drops Jerusalem demand

In two separate stories, Haaretz is reporting that Prime Minister Netanyahu offered US Middle East envoy George Mitchell a 9-month 'settlement freeze' during their Wednesday meeting in London, and that the US administration has now backed off the demand that the 'freeze' include Jerusalem. This is from the first story:

The Americans are slated to respond to Netanyahu's proposal at a meeting in Washington next week between Mitchell and two Israeli officials: Netanyahu's envoy, attorney Yitzhak Molcho, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak's chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Mike Herzog.

Mitchell himself will return to Jerusalem in the second week of September with the goal of finalizing an agreement.

The new Israeli proposal will exclude some 2,500 housing units on which construction has already started.

Additionally, in special cases where it is necessary to keep "normal life," Netanyahu wants to be able to erect public buildings in the settlements - mainly kindergartens and schools.

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Israel Matzav: Netanyahu offers 9 months, US drops Jerusalem demand