Netanyahu Sets Moratorium On West Bank Growth, But What Does He Expect In Return?

The Los Angeles Times reports that "Israel imposed a 10-month moratorium Wednesday on approvals for new homes in Jewish settlements across the West Bank. But it appeared unlikely that the restriction, applauded by the Obama administration, would be enough to coax the Palestinians back to U.S.-brokered peace talks. The unilateral decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marked a retreat from the pro-settler policies his right-wing Likud Party has pursued for more than three decades in and out of government. In a televised speech, he called it a 'painful step' aimed to 'encourage resumption of peace talks with our Palestinian neighbors.'... The Palestinian Authority leadership rejected his appeal, repeating its months-old condition that Israel first freeze all settlement growth on land claimed by the Palestinians in East Jerusalem as well as the West Bank."

Israel has seemingly already begun the process of concession under Bibi Netanyahu. The Israeli government has ordered a "moratorium" on West Bank settlement growth, to which the Palestinians responded by saying that is not enough. This is an appeasement policy that will achieve nothing, and even the the concessions made by Israel are ones that the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank already refuses to recognize. As an opinion piece on Ynetnews.com makes clear, the the "decision to halt residential construction in the settlements and the deal being formulated with Hamas have one thing in common: In both cases the Israeli side gives something and doesn’t get anything in return, or alternately, gets much less. The decision passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the cabinet Wednesday regarding the halt of construction in Judea and Samaria was supposed to prompt an immediate response by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in respect to a Palestinian return to the negotiations table."
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