Israeli settlement move does not go far enough

The offer, made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could help the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Israel's offer to freeze settlement building in the occupied West Bank for 10 months does not go far enough, Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday, urging a full stop to construction.

The offer, made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could help the Israeli-Palestinian peace process - on the condition that it is followed by further steps - the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

- What is needed is a full stop to settlement activity, including 'natural growth', related to all the occupied Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem - it said.

Netanyahu on Wednesday offered to freeze new building projects in the West Bank for 10 months, but excluded the construction of public buildings and all construction within mostly Arab east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians have demanded east Jerusalem -- which Israel occupied and annexed following the 1967 Six-Day War in a move not recognised by the international community -- as the capital of their future state.

Russia is a member of the international quartet seeking to negotiate an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along with the European Union, the United Nations and the United States.