JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enters week two of a tougher-than-expected campaign to renew limits on settlement construction with many allies balking and the U.S. still crafting a package of incentives meant to win them over.
The top sticking point is Israel’s insistence that construction continue in war-won east Jerusalem, where Palestinians hope to establish their future capital. The ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, which holds the swing votes on the 90-day moratorium, has demanded a written assurance from the U.S. that east Jerusalem construction would not be curbed.
But Shas spokesman Roi Lachmanovitch said early Sunday that a written assurance has yet to be received.
A Netanyahu spokesman would not discuss contacts with the U.S.
