West Bank settlements present major roadblock to Mideast peace

(NECN/ABC) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made his opposition to any settlement freeze clear, and there is little doubt he will bend, despite meeting with President Barack Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York this week. For one American family who has chosen to live out their lives in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, Jewish presence there, remains critical. Jay and Dena Bailey have been living in the settlement of Efrat for 15 years. They are among the 300,000 Jewish settlers living in the West Bank today. They came from NY, have three children and hope one day they too will live here. For that to happen, Efrat must grow. And so, President Obama’s call for a settlement freeze six months ago did not go down well. And they have supported Prime Minister Netanyahu’s refusal to give in to U.S. pressure. Netanyahu insists places like Efrat must be allowed to grow naturally. Palestinians say anymore building means less land for their state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right wing government have always supported the settlers and he knows his tough stance against American pressure has had the support of the Baileys and thousands like them. In the end, the Israelis have offered a freeze of sorts but insisted 3,000 homes already started must be finished, and that settlement building in East Jerusalem where the Palestinians want their future capital will go on. Not the kind of freeze President Obama set out to achieve, not the one the Palestinians want certainly, but one that gives hope to the Baileys and their children. ABC’s Simon McGregor-Wood reports.