Israel to be allowed to finish settlements

ISRAEL would be allowed to finish hundreds of apartments already under construction in West Bank settlements, even if it agrees to a US-drafted deal to renew a freeze on new construction, a diplomat familiar with the details said yesterday.

The US is pressing Israel to renew a settlement slowdown that expired in September in order to get stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks moving again. In exchange, it is offering Israel military hardware and veto protection against UN resolutions critical of its policies.

According to the emerging deal, construction would have to halt for 90 days on hundreds of additional homes begun after the first slowdown expired on September 26.