Israel rejects total settlement freeze

JERUSALEM - Israel will not impose a complete halt on settlement construction on occupied Palestinian land as demanded by the United States, a senior official said on Thursday. “Israel will not freeze natural growth and will not suffocate the life of 300,000 Israelis who live in settlements in all legality,” Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told public radio. The international community considers all settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem illegal, saying they violate international law under which an occupying power cannot transfer part of its population to the land it occupies. The US administration is pressing... [read full story]                    

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