The New York Times is reporting that US President Obama has dropped his demand for a full freeze on Israeli settlements in the West Bank and will focus instead on critical issues such as the status of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the borders of a future Palestinian state.
This decision is important as it means rather than focus on the rather trivial nature of the number of apartments being built in areas that most observers agree will be part of Israel following an agreement, the United States will focus whether or not the two sides even want an agreement. Hopefully the peace process will move past this side-track that his lasted since last year.