But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama has "absolutely not" left any exceptions for himself in his executive order barring the use of Bush administration-approved tactics such as sleep deprivation.
The government's unofficial policy has been implemented in the hopes of pleasing the Obama administration, which argues that by barring Jewish building, Israel will encourage the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority to moderate its policies and so engender an atmosphere conducive to a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian conflict with Israel.