Across Asia: Israel/West Bank

Settlers press on

Settlers leaders say they will continue to defy an Israeli government order to freeze West Bank settlement construction.

Settlers have been resisting the order since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced it a week ago.

Settler leaders were to meet with Netanyahu yesterday to try and calm tensions. The meeting comes a day after a settlement mayor was arrested.

One of top settler leaders, Pinhas Wallerstein, told Israel's Army Radio they have no intention to halt all construction.

Netanyahu said the order is meant as a confidence-building gesture to get peace efforts with the Palestinians back on track. Palestinians have said the move is insufficient because is does not include east Jerusalem.

(China Daily 12/04/2009 page11)