Israel to Propose Settlement Deal to Washington

Israel would dismantle nearly two dozen wildcat settlement outposts in the West Bank in the next few weeks if the US drops its objections to continued building in existing, government-sanctioned settlements, officials said. Defense Minister Ehud Barak will bring the new proposal to senior American officials during his visit to Washington next week, the Israeli officials said.

Under the terms of the US-backed "road map" for Mideast peace, Israel is to both take down the outposts and halt building in existing settlements. But it has flouted those obligations since the road map was signed in 2003. “Any attempt to maneuver on the implementation of the road map regarding settlement activities is unacceptable," Palestine’s chief negotiator said. (More Arab Israeli conflict stories.)