11/25/2009 3:42 PM
ET
(RTTNews) -
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement Wednesday in which she hailed Israel's decision to halt establishing settlements in the West Bank as a step forward in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 10-month moratorium on establishing further settlements in the West Bank region.
The Obama administration has been pushing heavily for Israel to stop building new settlements in the region as a sign of good faith in negotiations with the Palestinians. The administration is pushing for a two-state solution to end the conflict.
Earlier in the month, Israel announced that it planned to construct 900 new homes in the West Bank region, which the administration worried could disrupt or even end negotiations with the Palestinians.
As such, the administration was happy with the announcement Wednesday on Israel's plans to halt settlement projects.
"Today's announcement by the Government of Israel helps move forward toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Clinton said in her statement.
She added, "We believe that through good-faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements."
Clinton stated that the administration's goal of achieving "a solution with two states living side by side in peace and security is unwavering."
by RTT Staff Writer
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