FREEZE ENDS

It's past September 26, and the construction freeze in Judea/Samaria has ended. What's interesting is that deputy PM Silvan Shalom has admitted it was a mistake:

As the 10-month settlement freeze expired at midnight, Vice Premier Silvan Shalom toured the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday and called the prime minister's initial decision to freeze the settlements a "mistake."

Speaking at Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs, Shalom responded to the Palestinian request to extend the settlement moratorium by three months, saying that even the 10 month freeze had been excessive.

Shalom said that the decision to end settlement building in the West Bank was a "mistaken" and "unwarranted" decision. Shalom said that he had been opposed to the settlement freeze from the beginning, and that it was a decision that no past prime minister ever agreed to.

Addressing Sunday's West Bank shooting after which a woman gave birth, Shalom said that the Jewish child which was born is proof of the Jewish nation's eternality, which will only continue to grow and develop.

That incident where mother and child survived to live a new life and another day was miraculous.

In their responses to this, some world leaders may have respected the end of this nonsense, but still manage to disappoint. William Hague, for example, has acted quite predictably and gallingly. On the other hand, Fatah dictator Abbas has "delayed" the decision whether to quit the talks. Don't think however, that this means he's willing to admit defeat. Update: Abbas and company are going to wait at least a week before deciding.