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Netanyahu: Israel Agreed to New Settlement Freeze But U.S. Retracted Offer
(Ha'aretz) Jonathan Lis - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday that he had agreed to the U.S. suggestion of a three-month extension to the West Bank settlement freeze, but the Americans were the ones who retracted the offer. "The United States asked us to consider extending the freeze by three months, and the truth is that we were prepared to do so," he said. Netanyahu said that contrary to what was reported, it was not Israel but the "United States who decided against that direction, rightfully, in my opinion." "I told Obama that I am prepared to go with this to the cabinet and that I will be able to enforce the move, but then I received the surprising phone call from the Americans who said they no longer demand that Israel extends the freeze." "The Americans were right in saying that the settlement freeze will lead to a dead end, in which we would have entered an endless path of settlement freezes." Netanyahu also said the Palestinians' attempts to pursue unilateral statehood will fail. "We are aware of their steps - even the [U.S.] Congress opposed these unilateral steps and it seems that the Americans will not be partners to a forced agreement."