The United States and Israel may have agreed to a solution on settlement construction that would appease both governments as well as the Arab world, the Israeli media reported. Israel reportedly agreed to end all new settlement construction for a few months while the United States would not condemn the completion of certain settlement projects.
This agreement would enable U.S. President Barack Obama to continue engaging the Arab world by stating that the United States imposed pressure on Israel. The administration repeatedly called on Israel to halt all settlement construction, a mandate generally fulfilled by the alleged agreement. Similarly, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could appease the right-wing factions through the completion of some settlement construction. Moreover, the halt on new settlement construction remains temporary to further appease right-wing members of the coalition government.
However, U.S. officials, including Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called for an immediate freeze on all settlement construction, including natural growth. While the media spins the agreement as a victory for the U.S. and Israeli administrations, the agreement still permits substantial settlement development. If anything, it seems that the U.S. conceded a major point to Israel.
