Obama welcomes settlement move
2009-08-18 20:19
Washington - US President Barack Obama on Tuesday praised Israel for "movement in the right direction" on settlements and called on Arab nations and the Palestinians to make gestures towards the Jewish state.
"There has been movement in the right direction," Obama said, after his first White House meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a key figure in attempts to seek peace in the Middle East.
"My hope is that we are going to see not just movement from the Israelis, but also from the Palestinians on incitement and security as well as from Arab states that shows their willingness to engage Israel," Obama said.
Israel's Premier on Tuesday agreed to curtail construction in the occupied West Bank in a gesture to Washington that critics said fell far short of US demands for a settlement freeze.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Housing Minister Ariel Atias agreed no new tenders for
settlement construction in the West Bank should be issued until early 2010.
- SAPA
