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Israel Begins Ten-Month Settlement Freeze
by Tovah Lazaroff and Herb Keinon
 Following the security cabinet announcement of a 10-month moratorium on housing
starts in the settlements, Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday suspended all
permits for building projects where contractors have not yet broken ground.
Barak also announced the approval of plans to build 28 public buildings, most of
them educational facilities needed for the coming school year. Prime Minister
Netanyahu had indicated in announcing the moratorium Wednesday that construction
of public buildings, as well as construction in eastern Jerusalem, would
continue. Discussing the freeze, Barak said: "We are talking about a
unilateral step, at the government's initiative, which has been coordinated with
the United States, with the intention of advancing the diplomatic process with
the Palestinians." (Jerusalem Post)
Iran Rebuked over Nuclear Cover-Up by UN Watchdog
 The UN nuclear watchdog's governing body has passed a resolution condemning Iran
for developing a uranium enrichment site in secret and demanded that Iran freeze
the project immediately. The resolution, the first against Iran in nearly four
years, was passed by a 25-3 margin with six abstentions. (BBC News)
With rare Russian and Chinese
backing, the vote sent a message of increasing international resolve to
challenge Iran over its disputed nuclear ambitions. The measure won blanket
Western backing. Cuba, Malaysia and Venezuela voted "no," while Afghanistan,
Brazil, Egypt, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey abstained. (Reuters)
See also U.S.: Time Running Out for Iran to Avoid Sanctions by Matt Spetalnick and Vicki Allen
"Time is running out. That deadline is the end of the year," White
House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday, referring to the deadline
for Tehran's response to international demands in order to avoid
sanctions over its nuclear program. (Reuters)
Israel's Oren Lavie Nominated for Grammy
by Noya Kohavi
 Oren Lavie's "Her Morning Elegance" is up for a Grammy Award in the best short form music video category, it was announced late Wednesday. Lavie, whose debut album "The Opposite Side of the Sea" was released about two years ago, is recording his second album in Los Angeles. The nominated video, which was used in a Chevrolet commercial in the United States, was directed by Lavie and animators Yuval and Merav Nathan. It has racked up more than 9 million views on YouTube. (Ha'aretz)
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Netanyahu: Moratorium Proves We Want Peace
 The Israeli cabinet's decision to freeze settlement construction in the West
Bank for 10 months proves that Israel wants peace, Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday. Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that the
Palestinian Authority's rejection of his offer proves that the
Palestinians are mounting obstacles to a peace deal. He reiterated
previous comments that the cabinet's decision was "one-time and
temporary... a freeze of unlimited and infinite duration." Regarding West Bank settlers, the prime minister said the
decision to freeze settlement construction was "certainly not easy,
neither for them nor for us. It has to do with the heart of the homeland of the Jewish
people. It has to do with settlers, Israelis who are our brothers; they
are part of us and we are part of them," he affirmed. (Jerusalem Post)
U.S. Praises Israeli Moratorium on West Bank Construction
by Glenn Kessler
 The Obama administration hailed the Israeli government's announcement last week that it intends to temporarily halt new residential construction in the West Bank. "We believe the steps announced by the prime minister are significant and could have substantial impact on the ground," said George J. Mitchell (pictured), the special U.S. envoy for Middle East peace. The Obama administration appeared eager to put a painful and lengthy dispute with Israel over settlement expansion behind it. The Israeli announcement came about as a result of extensive bilateral discussions, with sources saying a private understanding was reached that the Israeli government would be expected to maintain the moratorium if peace talks appeared to be making progress. (Washington Post)
View Video of Mitchell Statement (Washington Post)
Natalie Portman: 'Israel Needs an Army'
by Mayer Nissim
 Natalie Portman has said that Israel must retain its army if it is to remain secure. However, the Jerusalem-born Brothers actress told Parade that she would find it difficult to send her own children to fight in a war. Portman
said: "I could not do it myself. But, I also think that in the world we
live in, in certain countries, you can't not have an army. Obviously,
I'm referring specifically to Israel. I think if Israel didn't have an
army, it wouldn't exist. That's a hypothesis I really wouldn't want to
test, like the Israelis going, 'Okay, let's just try it out and not
have an army and see what happens'." (Digital Spy - UK)
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