Israel declares temporary pause on new West Bank settlements

Israel has said it will pause building new settlements in the occupied West Bank for "the coming months".

The move appears to be the fruit of behind-the-scenes talks by the US with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

It comes as Palestinian leaders are being heavily criticised for agreeing to the withdrawal of a UN Security Council resolution on settlements.

The council instead issued a symbolic statement expressing "deep concern and dismay" at recent developments.

Last week, Israel announced the legalisation of nine unauthorised outposts and approved the planning and building of nearly 10,000 new housing units in existing settlements.

These steps are not expected to be reversed.

Washington had previously publicly warned Israel, its closest Middle Eastern ally, not to authorise new settlements.

The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

When the earlier announcement on settlements was made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US joined European governments - France, Germany, Italy and the UK - in saying it was "deeply troubled".

However, it also said it was "unhelpful" when the Palestinians went on to draft a Security Council resolution, to be put forward by the United Arab Emirates.

The resolution would have reaffirmed "that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law".

It would have been embarrassing for the US if it had been forced to use its veto power at the Security Council to protect Israel, as it often has in the past.

When the UAE informed the council that it would not call a vote, it cited "positive talks between the partners" and said that its president would issue a statement instead.

Such statements reflect consensus but are not legally binding.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which formally represents the Palestinian people at the UN, has not officially commented. Neither have officials from the Palestinian Authority (PA), which, like the PLO, is headed by the President Mahmoud Abbas and which governs parts of the West Bank.

However, it is rumoured that for a deal to be struck on dropping the draft resolution, Israel also agreed to reduce its evictions of Palestinians and demolitions of their homes.

In areas under Israeli control, Palestinians often build without permits, saying that these are virtually impossible to get. Israel considers such structures illegal and has recently intensified action to demolish them, contributing further to heightened tensions.

There is a general concern - voiced by many in the international community - about the likelihood of violence in the coming months.

The Muslim holiday of Ramadan is set to overlap with the Jewish holiday of Passover in April, meaning there is increased potential for clashes at contested holy sites, particularly in East Jerusalem.

Political rivals to the Fatah party, which dominates the PLO and PA, have denounced its decision not to press ahead with the UN vote.

The Islamist militant movement Hamas, which governs Gaza, said it acted against public opinion.

"It seems that the PA is insisting on buying illusion from the US administrations and occupation [Israeli] governments, and this does not reflect the spirit of the Palestinian people," a spokesman, Hazem Qassem, said.

The head of the Palestinian National Initiative party, Mustafa Barghouti, told the BBC the turn of events suited Washington's interests.

"The US can now continue to claim to be against settlement building while maintaining the hypocrisy of talking about a two-state solution. All the while, they watch Israel destroy it through continued settlement construction," he said.

On social media, some Palestinians - including Twitter user Yessar, who identified himself as a doctor - accused Palestinian leaders of collaborating with the Israeli occupation.

Palestinians seek an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as their capital - all territories that were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War.

This is the basis of the long-time, internationally-backed, formula for peace known as the two-state solution.

Since 1967, Israel has set up some 140 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, claiming a security imperative and biblical connections to the land. Over the years it has also dismantled or turned a blind eye to dozens of outposts.