Netanyahu officially refuses US demands to freeze settlements in Jerusalem

Occupied Jerusalem/Washington

The Wall Street Journal has reported that toward the end of last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a formal letter to US President Barak Obama informing him of Israel’s decision to officially refuse to freeze settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem.

---

The newspaper quoted sources within the US administration as saying that Netanyahu had decided to take ten other steps aimed at driving the peace process forward. Among these was an agreement to release Palestinian prisoners and to ease the transfer of commodities to the Gaza Strip along with the removal of barriers in the West Bank. In addition, Israel has agreed to expand the powers of the Palestinian Security Services and to discuss the issue of borders and the status of Jerusalem within negotiations.

Source: Sama News