At long last the rumors have been confirmed. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has agreed to American demands to freeze construction in Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, as was announced by the White House on Sunday. As a result, construction in the chareidi community of the capital is on hold until 2012.

In the deal as reported by officials in both Yerushalayim and Washington, the prime minister agreed to the halt in construction in exchange for a PA (Palestinian Authority) agreement to combat anti-Israel incitement. The Israeli acceptance of the construction freeze will contribute towards creating the proper atmosphere to advance peace-making efforts White House officials report.

The PA on Sunday agreed to enter the proximity talks, the US-mediated negotiations. After meetings on Sunday, US special envoy George Mitchell left the region and is scheduled to return next week.

Calling the talks “serious and wide-ranging”, upon leaving the country Mitchell released the following statement:

“Both parties are taking some steps to help create an atmosphere that is conducive to successful talks, including President Abbas’ statement that he will work against incitement of any sort and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement that there will be no construction at the Ramat Shlomo project for two years. They are both trying to move forward in difficult circumstances and we commend them for that.

“We have received commitments from both sides, and we have made assurances to both sides, that are enabling us to move forward. The full scope of these discussions will remain private.

“As both parties know, if either takes significant actions during the proximity talks that we judge would seriously undermine trust, we will respond to hold them accountable and ensure that negotiations continue”.

Special Envoy Mitchell emphasized the importance of making progress in these talks to enable the parties to move to direct negotiations that will result in a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our overall goal remains a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)