Washington: Israel's Ambassador to Washington has said the United States has offered Israel incentives in return for extending a freeze on settlements to
help keep the Palestinians in peace talks.
"The administration has come back to Israel with a
number of suggestions, incentives if you would, to the
Israelis that would enable the government to maybe pass a
limited extension of two or three months," Ambassador Michael
Oren told the Washington Post.
The Palestinians have pledged to carry through on
their frequently repeated threat to quit the month-old direct
peace talks with Israel, if the Jewish state fails to extend a
settlement freeze that expired September 26.
On the eve of an Arab League meeting in Libya where
the Palestinians were due to make a final decision, Oren said
"by Friday we will have a clearer picture" of what is
happening.
The White House last week denied reports that US
President Barack Obama had written a letter to Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu that offered Israel incentives in exchange
for a 60-day extension of the moratorium on settlement
building in the West Bank.
PTI
First Published: Friday, October 08, 2010, 11:23