(Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) Nazir Majalli - Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence Dan Meridor said in an interview: "Ten months ago we froze the construction in the settlements for 10 months, but the Palestinians rejected this decision, and said that it did not include a real freeze; now they want to extend it. Why did they not accept it then? Why have they not exploited this period to launch the negotiations? Why have they wasted that time? What is the logic of their behavior?...We have been negotiating for more than 17 years. However, the Palestinians have never proposed freezing settlement construction activity as a condition for negotiations." "These negotiations, as I pointed out, are too important to collapse because of the issue of the settlements. We are talking about negotiations over the establishment of a Palestinian state. The failure of the negotiations will delay the establishment of this state."
2010-09-28 09:25:48Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive