Bethlehem – Ma’an/Agencies – The Palestinian Authority is urging Israel to approve a complete standstill on settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.
The halt would be for a period of between three to six months and will not be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post.
"This is not going to happen; it goes against everything Netanyahu says and believes in," a source in the prime minister's office told the daily.
US Middle East envoy George Mitchell is set to raise the issue during talks with Netanyahu on Thursday, who will arrive on Wednesday following talks in Syria and Lebanon.
The PA has repeatedly rejected all calls to resume negotiations while settlement expansion remains unhindered in East Jerusalem, while Netanyahu has deemed the 10-month halt in the West Bank a gesture, mandating a return to talks.
Nonethless, the international community, including the Obama administration, has condemned Israeli practices in East Jerusalem, including settlement expansion, house evictions and demolitions.
Meanwhile on Sunday Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the government had put forward an “arsenal of gestures” and that the Palestinian side must act accordingly.
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