An Israeli decision today to limit settlement construction in the West Bank fell short of the US goal of a full freeze but was more than previous government have done and could advance peace efforts, US officials said.
"Today's announcement by the government of Israel helps move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said in a statement.
US Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell said Washington was still pushing for a quick resumption of stalled peace talks without any preconditions and hoped the Israeli offer could help create a more conducive atmosphere.
"It falls short of a full settlement freeze, but it is more than any Israeli government has done before and can help move toward agreement between the parties," Mr Mitchell told a state department briefing.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today announced a plan to limit settlement construction for 10 months in a bid to revive stalled peace negotiations, but Palestinians said the partial moratorium did not meet their terms for resuming talks.
Mr Netanyahu's proposal excludes areas of the West Bank that Israel annexed to its Jerusalem municipality after capturing the territory in a 1967 war and building projects already under way, government officials said.
Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, said any resumption of negotiations "must be on the basis of a complete settlement freeze, and in Jerusalem foremost."
Mr Mitchell said the decision could mean much less settlement construction than would have occurred without a moratorium.
"We believe that steps announced by the prime minister are significant and could have substantial impact on the ground," he said. "For the first time ever, an Israeli government will stop housing approvals and all new construction of housing units and related infrastructure in West Bank settlements. That's a positive result."
Mr Mitchell underscored that the Israeli move was a unilateral decision, not an agreement with the United States or the Palestinians. US policy, he said, "does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."
"The status of Jerusalem and all other permanent status issues must be resolved by the parties through negotiations," he said.
Mr Mitchell criticised the Israeli pattern of evicting Palestinians in Jerusalem from their homes and demolishing the structures.
"The United States has not accepted and disagrees with any unilateral action by either party which could have the effect of pre-empting negotiations," he said, urging them to resume negotiations on a two-state solution.
Reuters