Israel proposes 9-month settlement freeze

JERUSALEM, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu agreed to a nine-month freeze on West Bank settlement construction, officials said Friday.

The accord, reported by Israel's Army radio, came during a meeting with U.S. Special Middle East Envoy George Mitchell, who is engaging in shuttle diplomacy between Israeli and Arab leaders to try to jump start stalled peace talks, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has maintained talks would resume only if Netanyahu declared a complete settlement freeze, something the prime minister made has not been inclined to do.

If a freeze means absolutely no new construction, then it "certainly won't be," Netanyahu said.

"There are 2,400 (housing) units that are currently being built, and another 500 that we approved. Do you want to call that a freeze? I don't call it a freeze, I call it a slowdown in building," Netanyahu said. "I am willing to do that to help the (diplomatic) process, and, in parallel, to preserve normal life of the residents."

Mitchell, in the region since Saturday, is trying to pave the way for a three-way meeting of Netanyahu, Abbas and U.S. President Barack Obama in New York next week during the U.N. General Assembly.

A senior Palestinian official said Palestinian leaders would hold fast to their demand for a total halt of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank before talks can take place, Haaretz.com reported.

"There is no agreement yet with the Israeli side and no middle ground solution," Saeb Erekat said.