https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64654635
Israel has said it will pause building new settlements in the occupied West Bank for “the coming months”.
The move appears to be the fruit of behind-the-scenes talks by the US with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Last week, Israel announced the legalisation of nine unauthorised outposts and approved the planning and building of nearly 10,000 new housing units in existing settlements. These steps are not expected to be reversed.
Washington had previously publicly warned Israel, its closest Middle Eastern ally, not to authorise new settlements. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
The head of the Palestinian National Initiative party, Mustafa Barghouti, told the BBC the turn of events suited Washington’s interests.
“The US can now continue to claim to be against settlement building while maintaining the hypocrisy of talking about a two-state solution. All the while, they watch Israel destroy it through continued settlement construction,” he said.
