After telling foreign/international journalists on 20 January 2010 that Israel must keep a “foothold” in the West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu went to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Bethlehemin the West Bank to plant trees on Sunday 24 January 2010, and stated: “We are planting here, we will stay here, we will build here, this place will be an inseparable part of the State of Israel for eternity”… According to a report published in Haaretz, here, Netanyahu “made the symbolic visit just hours after meeting Mitchell, who has been trying to revive talks on Palestinian statehood suspended for the past 13 months … Speaking after meeting Mitchell in Jerusalem, Netanyahu vowed Israel would also keep its two biggest West Bank settlements, Maale Adumim and Ariel”.
Palestinians: Netanyahu’s claim to West Bank destroys peace efforts
Abbas aide: Tree planting makes return to peace talks unlikely; talks; U.S.: No breakthrough is expected.
Is this just a tactic?