Following a meeting last Sunday with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during her recent visit to the area in an endeavor to push for progress, Livni stated that Israel had "no hidden agenda" in regard to West Bank settlements, after Rice called Israel's policy in the area "problematic."
Livni added that the settlements would not pose an obstacle to the implementation of the road map peace plan or to Palestinian aspirations for a future state, saying that the execution of the 2005 disengagement from Gaza demonstrated that Israel would stick to its obligations over the matter.
Rice, however, said that the continued settlement building was hampering efforts to establish a Palestinian state, and added that she was pressing Israel to do more to ease restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank, caused by over 600 roadblocks and checkpoints, which Israel argues is necessary for its security and the Palestinians say is collective punishment.
In an effort to force both sides closer to a negotiated settlement Rice requested that Israel and the Palestinian Authority publish a memorandum of understanding on the progress of their final-status negotiations to date before U.S. President George W. Bush arrives next week to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary.
An Israeli government source stated that Rice was trying to persuade an increasingly skeptical international community that progress was indeed being made. However, despite repeated pledges by the Jewish state to halt settlement building, the enlargement of current settlements in the West Bank and the establishment of new ones continue unabated.
Last month Olmert approved a plan to build 750 new homes in the Givat Zeev settlement and 100 new homes in the Ariel settlement in the northern West Bank. Some 500 homes are currently under construction in Har Homa and 240 in Maaleh Adumim in East Jerusalem.
There are approximately 430,000 Israeli settlers residing illegally, according to U.N. resolutions and international law, in the West Bank, territory which belongs to a future Palestinian state.
Rice has also expressed concern as to whether Israel was abiding by its commitment to ease access and movement restrictions caused by the 600 plus checkpoints and roadblocks in the West Bank. Earlier Sunday, Rice met Defense Minister Ehud Barak to discuss their removal.
The roadblocks and checkpoints have crippled the economy in the West Bank and seriously impinged on daily life for the residents there. According to a recent World Bank report even with the $7.4 billion dollars pledged in aid to Palestinians by international donors at the Paris conference at the beginning of the year, the Palestinian economy will continue to deteriorate if there is no easing on movement.
Following Rice's last trip in late March, Israel announced plans to remove 61 barriers and roadblocks in the occupied West Bank but a U.N. survey subsequently found only 44 had been removed and that most were of little or no significance.
"The first thing we are going to do is to review the ones that were supposedly moved," Rice told reporters, adding that she wanted to discuss with Israeli officials how significant those barriers were to allowing Palestinian movement.
And while Israel has often trotted out the argument that is has no credible Palestinian peace partner, the spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, better known as Abu Mazen, stated that in his opinion, the Palestinians had neither credible Israeli nor credible U.S. negotiating partners.
An unlikely source of agreement, from the Palestinian point of view, came from Jewish former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, who expressed skepticism over the Bush administration's ability to successfully implement an Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
Indyk stated, "I see no indication of that. I think that their very clear attitude to this – at least the president's view of it – is that it's up to the parties to make the deal," Indyk said.
He said bilateral talks about borders, settlements, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees could be making headway but that Abbas's dissatisfied air after meeting Bush in Washington several weeks ago suggested otherwise.
Indyk also said he found it "much more disturbing" that movement on the ground had been minimal and that Israel has repeatedly moved to expand settlements since the Annapolis, Maryland, peace talks and done little to remove significant roadblocks on the West Bank.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that marked differences still remain over key issues in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Palestinian negotiating team has made it clear that East Jerusalem is a red line for them and that Israel agreeing to cede only 90 percent of the West Bank will not suffice and they have demanded the return of 98 percent.
Palestinian presidential adviser, Abu Redeina, warned that unless significant progress was made, Abbas will be forced to "make dramatic decisions."