Background Basics
Understanding the Settlement Moratorium
On November 25, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to halt settlement construction in the West Bank for ten months. The freeze applies to new home construction, but not building currently in progress or building in East Jerusalem. The moratorium allows for construction of a finite number of public buildings, such as synagogues and schools; only 28 such public building projects will be allowed by Israel during the moratorium.
Following Netanyahu’s announcement, U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace
The Challenge of Settlements and Outposts Since 1992: Some Key Events
1992 – 1994: In 1992, as a means to re-secure $10 billion in U.S. housing loan guarantees for new immigrants from Russia, Yitzhak Rabin’s government pledged to freeze settlement expansion. By 1994, however, the government had proposed construction of up to 15,000 new apartments, including the Maale Adumim settlement five miles east of Jerusalem, which now threatens to divide the West Bank in two. In addition, Ehud Olmert, then mayor of Jerusalem, authorized the construction
Efforts Toward Middle East Peace Post-1991 Madrid Conference
In October 1991, the United States and Soviet Union co-sponsored a peace summit in Madrid that included representatives from the European Community, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation. The Arab Maghreb Union, Gulf Cooperation Council and UN were observers to the talks. The conference served as the starting point for a series of negotiating tracks between Israel and the surrounding Arab countries.
Israeli-Palestinian Track
Concurrent to the official bilateral talks, Israelis and Palestinians began unofficial
U.S. Administration Efforts Toward Middle East Peace, March-July
Top-Down Track
Proximity Talks
Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell is concluding his sixth round of talks this week, which have included meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Plans for proximity talks were announced in March, but the first round did not begin