Ira Glunts writes:
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will meet with George Mitchell on Tuesday to present an Israeli compromise to the U.S. demand that all settlement expansion cease. It has been in the Israeli press for a few days. Ethan Bronner reports in the Times that Barak will propose a three-month to six-month trial freeze which would be continued if the Palestinians and other Arab nations respond in an appropriately conciliatory manner.
I think Barak is substituting for Netanyahu here because Bibi pissed
Mitchell off . This proposal is, of course, a joke since after the time limit expires, Netanyahu will surely declare that the Palestinians did not do what was expected of them and then he will proclaim that settlement building should proceed.
Bronner is wrong in presenting this Israeli proposal as a serious compromise. If the Americans do not stand firm here, I think it is a
very bad sign. The U.S must reject all compromise on new settlement construction. If it does not, it will signal that Obama is not going to apply the necessary pressure on Israel to achieve his stated goals.
