Departure Conversation between President Carter and Prime Minister Begin

In the meeting, Begin, who has long held the political and ideological view that the West Bank is part of the historic land of Israel, agrees to halt settlement construction there only for the duration of the peace treaty negotiations, not until Palestinian autonomy is applied. Carter inaccurately believes that Begin has promised to halt settlements, viewing the “duration” as five years until the end of the proposed transitional period for implementation of Palestinian autonomy. The Carter Administration continues to urge Israel, sometimes in strident terms, to give up control of these territories. It sees the West Bank and Gaza areas as zones reserved for a future Palestinian homeland or state. (source)