JERUSALEM: Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called on Wednesday for the word "freeze" to be erased from the vocabulary in Israel, as he repeated his opposition to new curbs on settlement construction.
His comments come as the United States drafts a package of incentives intended to convince Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reimpose a ban on settlement construction that expired in September.
The Palestinians have refused to continue direct peace talks that started shortly before the ban expired until the moratorium is reimposed, but many in Israel, including ultra-nationalist Lieberman, oppose any new freeze.
"I think, like many others, that there will not be another freeze. We must erase the word freeze from our vocabulary," he told Israeli public radio.
"We saw what the previous 10-month freeze got us — it didn’t achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations," said the chief diplomat.
Lieberman added there was "a growing consensus that it is impossible to reach a definitive peace deal in a year."
He reiterated his position the conflict would be better managed by reaching interim deals that could eventually lead to long-term agreements.
The United States is seeking an additional three-month settlement freeze in the West Bank to allow new direct talks to proceed, with the goal of reaching a final agreement within a year.
In exchange, Washington has offered a package of incentives, including fighter jets and diplomatic assistance for Israel at the United Nations.
But a final formula has yet to be reached, despite weeks of wrangling over the terms of any new freeze.
Netanyahu also faces opposition to a new freeze within his cabinet and has pledged any additional ban would not apply to east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians have said they will not return to negotiations if the moratorium does not extend to east Jerusalem, which they want for the capital of their future state.
