State officials: US-Israel freeze talks deadlocked

Disagreement over several clauses in US guarantees document brings negotiations to standstill, state officials say

Attila Somfalvi |Published: 11.27.10 , 22:47

Recent talks between Israel and the Unites States have indicated that the sides are close to reaching a conclusive draft on a guarantees document, which will give Israel US assurances in return for a three- month extension on the settlement building freeze.

However, official sources Saturday evening confirmed that negotiations between the parties have reached a standstill.

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After returning from the US, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly announced some of the guarantees – including 20 F-35 fighter jets – which were eventually not included as written clauses in the document. As a result, he did not convene the cabinet to vote on the three-month freeze extension.

Last week, state officials stated that there are still "disagreements on a few of the clauses, and Israel is waiting for clear answers from the Americans."

The sources noted that "although only few clauses were still unformulated, talks seem to have reached a deadlock."

American sources close to the Obama administration stated that "there is still a debate in the US over what can be given to Israel, and what cannot, " adding that "the administration is not clear on what Netanyahu wants."

The US has kept a low profile in recent weeks, while State Department spokespersons preferred to refrain from making comments on the situation.

Israeli sources estimate that talks will slow down even further in the upcoming days, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.