Israel offers 10-month West Bank colony freeze

Occupied Jerusalem: Israel's prime minister  on Wednesday proposed a 10-month freeze on West Bank colony construction in what he said was an attempt to jumpstart Mideast peace talks.

However, the Palestinians rejected the proposal before it was even formally unveiled, saying it was unacceptable because it did not include occupied east Jerusalem.

Israeli construction in colonies in the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem has been a key sticking point in US efforts to restart Mideast peace talks. The Palestinians say they will not return to the negotiating table without a complete halt to construction in both areas, which they claim for a future independent state.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his proposal to his Security Cabinet, a small gathering of senior Cabinet ministers and top security officials. The group was supposed to vote on the proposal later Wednesday.

"It's not a simple step, not easy. But it has far more advantages than disadvantages," Netanyahu said. "It allows us to present before the world a simple truth: The Israeli government wants to enter negotiations with the Palestinians, is taking practical steps to enter negotiations and is very serious about its intentions to promote peace."

Israel has been under heavy international pressure to halt its construction in colonies built on captured lands claimed by the Palestinians. Some 300,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, in addition to about 180,000 people living in Jewish neighbourhoods in occupied east Jerusalem.

Netanyahu already has promised not to build any new West Bank colonies, and he has floated the idea of suspending construction in existing ones. Wednesday's offer was the first time he has given a firm timeline for how long he is willing to stop the building.

The offer, however, appears to have key limitations. Netanyahu, a traditional ally of the colonist movement, has argued that some construction should be permitted to allow for "natural growth" in their communities. His latest offer apparently would not affect some 3,000 homes already planned or being built.

More critically, it did not make any mention of occupied east Jerusalem. The competing claims to the eastern part of the city _ home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites _ is the most intractable issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel considers all of occupied Jerusalem its eternal capital, and Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will not agree to share control of the city.

Netanyahu's announcement had been rumoured for days. Ahead of his formal announcement, Palestinian presidential adviser Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the proposed freeze would be unacceptable if it didn't include occupied east Jerusalem.

"Any Israeli offer that doesn't include [occupied] Jerusalem will be rejected immediately," he said in a phone interview from Argentina, where he was traveling with President Mahmoud Abbas. "No Palestinian, no Arab can cross this line."