While welcoming commitments by the Israeli government not to change access arrangements the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, a holy site revered by both Jews and Muslims, he called for settlement building and house demolitions to immediately cease.
Netanyahu flew to Berlin this afternoon for talks with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, who was expected to add her voice to calls for a settlement freeze.
At this point, it is critical to recognize that if a two-state solution is to be achieved, calls for a "settlement freeze" are not enough.
It calls for the settlements to be removed in four phases.
The Quartet calls for freezing settlements and dismantling only those built since March 2001.
The peace plan calls implicitly for settlements to be dismantled as part of a final settlement, its drafters say.
Instead of insisting on a settlement freeze he called for a settlement 'reduction.'reduction
Israel had already been thumbing its nose at the president's call for a settlement freeze by authorizing new settlements throughout the West Bank.
Last week, he made clear that, despite the road map's call for a settlement freeze, he did not plan short-term action against settlement activity.
It called for a settlement on pre-1967 lines.
But they objected to the call for a settlement freeze, which is a central element.
