U.S. Presses Israelis On Renewal Of Freeze.

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is trying to cajole the Israeli government into a 60-day renewal of the freeze on Jewish settlement building by offering it security guarantees, ranging from military hardware to support for a long-term Israeli presence in the strategically sensitive Jordan Valley, according to lawmakers and other officials briefed on the proposals. But with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so far resisting the administration's entreaties, the United States is also weighing a fallback plan, officials said, that could involve reaching out to the Palestinians with a pledge to formally endorse one of their central demands for the borders of a future Palestinian state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]