Israel TV: Israel proposing 10-month freeze in West Bank settlement construction

TV: Israel proposing 10-month settlement freeze

JERUSALEM — Israel TV reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is proposing a 10-month freeze in construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The TV report said the freeze would not apply to Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. Palestinians claim that part of the city as their capital.

Israeli and Palestinian officials were not available for comment late Monday. The report quoted unnamed Israeli officials.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a total freeze in settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem before peace talks resume. The U.S. is also calling for a freeze.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem after capturing it in the 1967 war. The fate of the city is one of the toughest issues in the conflict.