The problem is no one agrees on what it means, particularly when it is applied to the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and traditionally Arab East Jerusalem.
When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says "timeout," he means continuing his policy of building to keep up with "natural growth" in West Bank settlements, while agreeing not to start any new settlements for a period of time. And Jerusalem is not part of the discussion.
For the Palestinians, "timeout" means Netanyahu should take a break on all construction on all lands that Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War.
If Albright's recent slip of the tongue calling settlement activity "legal" is any indication, the United States is likely to accept Israel's definition and press the Palestinians to agree in the interest of pursing negotiations for a final peace agreement.
The United States' long-standing policy has been to avoid using the term legal or illegal regarding settlements, instead calling them "an obstacle" or "counterproductive."
That formality would open the way for U.S. companies such as Westinghouse Electric Corp. to sell nuclear power equipment to China. Until now, such sales have been barred by a 1985 law requiring the president to first certify that China does not engage in the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
10-03-97
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