Israeli official praises settlement freeze

JERUSALEM, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, unlike many other Israeli leaders, has praised a decision to freeze Jewish settlement building.

Ayalon, speaking Sunday at a discussion at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's move to impose a 10-month halt to settlements in the occupied West Bank is "historic and unprecedented," The Jerusalem Post reported.

"We hope the Arabs will not repeat the miscalculation of Nov. 29, 1947, and will not miss the opportunity to achieve peace," Ayalon said.

The newspaper said Ayalon was referring to U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181 to establish the Jewish State, which was rejected by the Palestinian leadership and Arab states.

Ayalon's comments came on a day when other government ministers and members of the Knesset criticized Netanyahu's temporary West Bank settlement freeze, the Post said.

"Since 1993, the Israeli and Palestinian concessions have been asymmetrical," he said. "Israel has made many concessions, but the Palestinians have fortified their positions and have not made any progress on the issues of Jerusalem, the refugees, borders and recognizing the state of Israel."