Aide: Israel’s Netanyahu considering settlement freeze, but only after some new construction

September 25th, 2009 Abbas: settlements block relaunch of peace talksUNITED NATIONS — The Palestinian president tells the U.N. General Assembly that Israel's continued settlement expansion is blocking the resumption of Mideast peace talks.

September 23rd, 2009 Israeli FM: US meeting proof firm stand paid offJERUSALEM — Israel's foreign minister says a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian and American leaders was a victory for Israel because it took place even though Israel refused demands to freeze settlement in the West Bank. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel Radio Wednesday that the government "kept its promises to the voter" and showed it is not necessary to "surrender and give in." Israel agreed only to slow settlement construction in the Palestinian territory for a limited time.

September 21st, 2009 Aide: Netanyahu won't bend on settlementsJERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won't bend on his opposition to a settlement freeze when he meets the American and Palestinian leaders in New York, a top aide said Monday. The tough Israeli line could signal trouble for Tuesday's summit, where President Barack Obama is bringing together Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in hopes of relaunching peace talks.

September 18th, 2009 Palestinian aide: No deal on resuming peace talksRAMALLAH, West Bank — President Barack Obama's special Mideast envoy was unable Friday to bridge wide gaps between Israelis and Palestinians on the terms of renewing peace talks, the chief Palestinian negotiator said. U.S. officials said mediation efforts would continue, however.

September 15th, 2009 US envoy pressing for settlement curtailmentJERUSALEM — Washington's special envoy to the Mideast will press Israel on Wednesday for further concessions on settlement construction, having failed a day earlier to reach an accommodation palatable to the U.S. and the Palestinians.

September 14th, 2009 Netanyahu: There will be no construction freezeJERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffed U.S. demands for a total West Bank settlement freeze on Monday, digging in his heels before a crucial meeting with Washington's special Mideast envoy.

September 4th, 2009 Moussa: no to settlement freeze without JerusalemCERNOBBIO, Italy — The Arab League chief says any Israeli offer for a settlement freeze that doesn't include east Jerusalem is unacceptable and "will suspend the peace process." Amr Moussa spoke Friday at a conference on Italy's Lake Como. Moussa said a freeze of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope to make their capital, is a precondition for any meaningful talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

September 3rd, 2009 Building of new West Bank housing dropsJERUSALEM — Israeli government statistics show that construction of new homes in the Israel's West Bank settlements fell by one-third in the first half of 2009 from a year earlier. The numbers bolster settlers' claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has partially frozen settlement construction under U.S.

September 3rd, 2009 Aide: Israeli PM considering settlement freezeJERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will approve hundreds of new housing units in West Bank settlements before slowing settlement construction, two of his aides said Friday, in an apparent snub of Washington's public demand for a total settlement freeze. At the same time, however, Netanyahu would be willing to consider suspending construction on most of the lands Palestinians claim for a future state for several months, the aides said.

August 25th, 2009 Netanyahu seeks compromise with US on settlementsLONDON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will seek a compromise in talks with the United States that would allow Israel to proceed with some settlement construction while restarting peace talks with the Palestinians. Israel's leader is on a four-day European tour and will meet his British counterpart Tuesday.

August 23rd, 2009 Report: No sign of West Bank settlement slowdownJERUSALEM — There is no sign of a slowdown in the construction of homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank despite Israel's announcement that it has stopped approving new building, the Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said in a report issued Sunday. Under U.S. pressure to freeze settlements, Israel indicated last week it had stopped green-lighting new construction projects, part of an attempt to bridge the gap between the two allies.

July 28th, 2009 Netanyahu, US envoy try to resolve settlement spatJERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell are trying to resolve a public dispute over Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

July 12th, 2009 Israel's Netanyahu invites Abbas to talk peaceJERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday invited the Palestinians to sit down immediately to talk peace, but the Palestinian leader rebuffed the call, saying that Israel must first halt all West Bank settlement construction. The issue of Israeli settlements has emerged as a major sticking point in efforts to restart peace talks, which halted shortly before Netanyahu took office in March.

July 1st, 2009 Israel considering options to promote peaceNEW YORK — Israel is considering what it can do to enable a full-fledged Mideast peace process and Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to take off, including instituting a temporary freeze on settlements, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday. But after four hours of talks with U.S.

June 7th, 2009 Netanyahu plans major policy address next weekJERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he'll deliver a major policy address next week in the wake of repeated U.S. calls for a freeze in West Bank settlement construction.