West Bank building issue looms over talks

JERUSALEM -- Nearly a week before peace talks with the Palestinians begin, Israel's government is debating a key concession: whether to extend a slowdown of West Bank settlement construction.


Israeli officials confirmed Monday that the government is in quiet talks with the U.S. to find a creative solution that will allow limited construction after Israel's 10-month moratorium ends Sept. 26.
The officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is well aware of the high stakes.
Caving in to U.S. and Palestinian pressure to extend the freeze could bring down the conservative Israeli governing coalition. But resuming construction could spell disaster for the fledgling peace talks.
"Many options are being discussed. It's not that simple," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.
Palestinian officials said Monday that President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter to the U.S. threatening to withdraw from negotiations, which are to begin Sept. 2 at the White House, if the freeze ends.
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. understands the issue's importance and will make sure it is discussed at the start of negotiations.
Israel and the Palestinians appear to be jostling for position before the formal launch of negotiations. The Palestinians are taking a tough line toward settlements, while Netanyahu laid down key security demands this week.
The roughly 120 Jewish settlements along the West Bank have long been a point of contention. Israel began settling the territory soon after capturing it during the 1967 war.
The Palestinians say the settlements, now home to about 300,000 Israelis interspersed among some 2.4 million Palestinians, are gobbling up land they claim for a future nation.