PM Netanyahu says U.S. rejected Israel's freeze proposal

PM Netanyahu says U.S. rejected Israel's freeze proposal

2011-01-04 02:55:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

JERUSALEM (BNO NEWS) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that the U.S. government rejected Israel's proposal over the settlement freeze, local media reported.

Netanyahu said that he agreed to the U.S. plan to extend by three months the West Bank settlement freeze moratorium but the Obama administration was the one that rejected the offer, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

"The United States asked us to consider extending the freeze by three months, and the truth is that we were prepared to do so," Netanyahu said. "It was eventually the United States who decided against that direction, rightfully, in my opinion."

In December, the United States announced that it ended negotiations attempting to reach a three-month-extension over the settlement freeze between Israel and Palestine. The U.S. said that it was unable to met Israel's demands.

Netanyahu also remarked that he supports a two-state solution and blamed Palestine for the lack of progress. The Prime Minister highlighted that this has been his position since 1996.

"During the cabinet meeting on Sunday, I called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to hold direct negotiations, but I got no answer," he said. "We took many actions in order to move the peace process forward but the Palestinians did not even advance one millimeter despite the settlement freeze."

Also in December, U.S. Envoy George Mitchell announced that the U.S. were still pursuing the continuation of peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Some Middle-Eastern countries previously expressed their skepticism over U.S. interest in doing so.

One day before that announcement, Abbas expressed his disappointment with the U.S. after failing to resume peace negotiations and declare that the border talks with Israel will be based on 1967 lines.

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