Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday US Middle East envoy George Mitchell in London to discuss settlements and the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. This meeting came one day after the Israeli leader met with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
“There is a real effort being made to bridge between the desire to move the process forward and the need to allow the residents of the West Bank, more than a quarter of a million Israelis, to live a normal life,” Netanyahu told journalists in London. “We are making headway. My government has taken steps in both words and deeds to move forward,” Netanyahu said standing alongside Mitchell.
Mitchell is attempting to forge an agreement that would freeze Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, a move Palestinians have demanded before reentering peace negations.
In his meeting with Brown, Netanyahu rejected construction freezes in East Jerusalem and reiterated his previous calls for the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. He did, however, say Israel would not construct new settlements, though it would permit “natural growth.”
“The settlements are an issue of divided opinion,” Netanyahu added. “They are a problem that needs to be resolved.” Nevertheless, he maintained that “the settlements have been turned into the root of the conflict, and that simply isn't the case.”
“What we're seeking to achieve with the United States in the talks we've conducted, and will conduct tomorrow and will conduct after tomorrow, is to find a bridging formula that will enable us to at once launch a process but enable those residents to continue living normal lives,” Netanyahu said in reference to Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
He said he brought up the issue in his meetings with Brown and Mitchell and would do so again when he meets with German Chancellor Angel Markel.
