Israel Must Halt Settlement Activity, Says Mideast Quartet

[babylonsister]

Israel Must Halt Settlement Activity, Says Mideast Quartet

NICOLE WINFIELD | June 26, 2009 12:01 PM EST | AP


TRIESTE, Italy — The Quartet of Mideast negotiators, taking advantage of a "historic" opportunity for Mideast peace with the new Obama administration, urged Israel on Friday to freeze all settlement activity and to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The Quartet _ the United States, Russia, United Nations and European Union _ met Friday in its first formal session since President Barack Obama came to office. It issued a statement as the participants attended a meeting of the Group of Eight foreign ministers, who made an identical call for an end to all settlement construction and a lifting of the Gaza blockade.

Israel has rejected demands that it halt all settlement building, saying it must accommodate "natural growth" in the Israeli enclaves. However the Quartet urged Israel to freeze all settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle settlement outposts erected since March 2001.

The negotiators also called for a "sustained reopening" of Gaza's crossing points to ensure a regular flow of people, as well as humanitarian and commercial goods into the isolated territory.

Gaza's borders were closed by Israel and Egypt after the takeover two years ago of the territory by Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the West. Hamas has repeatedly fired rockets from Gaza on Israeli border towns, setting off a three-week war by Israel on Gaza's Hamas leaders in the winter.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/26/israel-must-halt-settleme_n_221440.html

[Scurrilous]

1. Good news!

K & R :thumbsup:

[Swede]

2. There is no reason for these settlements.

The Negev desert is practicallly empty,build them there.