Egypt says Israeli settlement freeze must include east Jerusalem
By APFriday, August 28, 2009
Egypt: Israeli freeze must include east Jerusalem
STOCKHOLM — Egypt’s foreign minister says east Jerusalem must be included in a freeze of Israeli settlement activity before Middle East peace talks can restart.
Ahmed Aboul-Gheit told reporters in Stockholm on Friday that Jerusalem is Arab “and it will continue to be so.”
He said the Arab world expects the area to be included in a moratorium on Israeli settlements.
The Obama administration has hinted it may be backing down on its insistence that Israel halt all settlement activity as a condition for restarting peace talks with the Palestinians.
U.S. officials have denied Israeli media reports that Washington has agreed to leave East Jerusalem out of the agreement and settle for a nine- to 12-month freeze in the West Bank.
Tags: Africa, Egypt, Europe, European Union, International Agreements, Israel, Jerusalem, Middle East, North Africa, North America, Stockholm, Sweden, United States, Western Europe
