Obama Hails Netanyahu's New Freeze

Fresh off his trip to Asia, President Obama told reporters in D.C. on Sunday night that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commitment to a new settlement freeze in the West Bank is a “very constructive step.” The proposed 90-day moratorium, which Netanyahu has promised to push on his cabinet, would re-ignite stalled Middle East peace talks with Palestinians. “I think it’s a signal that he’s serious,” Obama noted. The deal was hammered out in a marathon negotiation session on Friday between Netanyahu and Hillary Clinton. As for his domestic plans, the president said he’d step back from his “obsessive focus” on policy after the midterms and return to seeking bipartisan consensus.