ISRAELI PRIME minister Binyamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to halt construction of 900 housing units in east Jerusalem following intense pressure from United States officials who are trying to restart stalled Middle East peace talks.
Israel’s Channel 10 television reported that the prime minister decided to suspend construction in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev after talks with US envoy George Mitchell.
The Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state and have linked a resumption of bilateral peace talks to a complete halt by Israel of building in West Bank settlements and east Jerusalem.
Four senior US officials held talks with Israeli leaders this week, with the Iranian nuclear threat and efforts to resume the Palestinian peace track topping the agenda.
Mr Netanyahu agreed to a number of concessions to ease the plight of Gaza Strip residents but made it clear that Israel will only lift the punishing economic siege on the coastal strip once kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, has been released.
As a one-off gesture, Israel has agreed to allow hundreds of tonnes of cement and building materials into Gaza.
This was the first time that Israel has authorized the transfer of cement, which is desperately needed for reconstruction, since the three-week military operation that ended in January.
Israel also promised to agree to the monthly transfer of funds to Gaza to pay the salaries of Palestinian Authority employees and humanitarian aid workers.
It also agree to allow delegates from the Palestinian Fatah organisation to travel unhindered next week to Bethlehem for the party’s first convention in 20 years.
Almost a third of the 1,500 delegates to the convention are from Gaza.
Israel has committed itself to providing safe passage to the West Bank if the Hamas administration in Gaza allows the Fatah delegates to leave.
Before his departure from the region, US national security adviser Jim Jones held talks yesterday with the leader of the opposition in Israel, Tzipi Livni.
Ms Livni urged the US to prepare harsher sanctions against Iran.
“We live in a world of impressions and perceptions and Iran is not North Korea,” Ms Livni said. “This world, the international community led by the United States, must be clear regarding Iran and regarding whether the world will stop a nuclear Iran.”