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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Clinton Rebukes Israel over East Jerusalem Plans - Glenn Kessler
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday over Israel's announcement during Vice President Biden's visit of
plans to build 1,600 housing units in a disputed area of Jerusalem.
President Obama had approved Clinton's call, sitting down with her during their weekly meeting Thursday to determine the language she would use. "The secretary and the president worked through together the specific points she would be making to Prime Minister Netanyahu," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.
Some analysts said Clinton's call risked emboldening Arab and Palestinian officials to make new demands before talks start. U.S. officials said Clinton made specific requests of Netanyahu to get the peace process back on track and to repair the damage to the relationship.
The future of Jerusalem is a major point of dispute in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 war and subsequently annexed and populated it in a move not recognized by the international community.
(Washington Post)
See also Text of State Department Statement
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Friday:
"Secretary Clinton also spoke this morning with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to reiterate the United States' strong objections to Tuesday's announcement, not just in terms of timing, but also in its substance; to make clear that the United States considers the announcement a deeply negative signal about Israel's approach to the bilateral relationship - and counter to the spirit of the Vice President's trip; and to reinforce that this action had undermined trust and confidence in the peace process, and in America's interests. The Secretary said she could not understand how this happened, particularly in light of the United States' strong commitment to Israel's security. And she made clear that the Israeli Government needed to demonstrate not just through words but through specific actions that they are committed to this relationship and to the peace process." (State Department)
See also
Axelrod: Jerusalem Housing Approval an "Affront," "Insult"
U.S. presidential advisor David Axelrod told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday:
"What happened there was an affront. It was an insult, but that's not the most important thing. What it did was it made more difficult a very difficult process. We've just gotten so-called proximity talks going between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and this seemed calculated to undermine that, and that was distressing to everyone who is promoting the idea of peace and security in the region.
Israel is a strong and special ally. The bonds run deep. But for just that very reason, this was not the right way to behave."
Q: Does the intransigence of the Israeli government on the housing issue, yes or no, does it put U.S. troops lives at risk?
Axelrod: "I believe that that region and that issue is a flare point throughout the region, and so I'm not going to put it in those terms. But I do believe that it is absolutely imperative, not just for the security of Israel and the Palestinian people, who were, remember, at war just a year ago, but it is important for our own security that we move forward and resolve this very difficult issue." (ABC News)
Netanyahu Voices Regret in Jerusalem Building Row with U.S. - Jeffrey Heller
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret on Sunday for the announcement of a Jerusalem construction plan that has strained ties with Washington. "I suggest not to get carried away and to calm down," Netanyahu told his cabinet, after a reprimand by Secretary of State Clinton. "There was a regrettable incident here, that occurred innocently," Netanyahu said. Yet he gave no sign he would meet Palestinian demands to cancel a project for 1,600 new homes in northern Jerusalem. Netanyahu appointed a team of senior officials "to ensure procedures will be in place to prevent these kinds of incidents" in the future.
(Reuters-Washington Post)
Leaders Push Back on U.S. Criticism of Israel - Ron Kampeas
U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) described the State Department's tough criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an "irresponsible overreaction" that suggested a pro-Palestinian bias by the administration.
"Where, I ask, was the administration's outrage over the arrest and month-long incarceration by Hamas of a British journalist who was investigating arms smuggling into Gaza?" she asked. "Where was the outrage when the Palestinian Authority this week named a town square after a woman who helped carry out a massive terror attack against Israel? It has been the PA who has refused to participate in talks for over a year, not the government of Israel." (JTA)
See also Administration's Dressing Down of Israel a "Gross Overreaction" - Abraham H. Foxman
ADL's national director issued the following statement Sunday:
"We are shocked and stunned at the Administration's tone and public dressing down of Israel on the issue of future building in Jerusalem. We cannot remember an instance when such harsh language was directed at a friend and ally of the United States. One can only wonder how far the U.S. is prepared to go in distancing itself from Israel in order to placate the Palestinians in the hope they see it is in their interest to return to the negotiating table.
It is especially troubling that this harsh statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly and privately explained to Vice President Biden the bureaucratic nature in making the announcement of proposed new building in Jerusalem, and Biden accepted the prime minister's apology for it. Therefore, to raise the issue again in this way is a gross overreaction to a point of policy difference among friends. The Administration should have confidence and trust in Israel whose tireless pursuit for peace is repeatedly rebuffed by the Palestinians and whose interests remain in line with the United States." (Anti-Defamation League)
See also AIPAC Hits White House - Ben Smith
The pro-Israel group AIPAC, which had been at pains for much of President Obama's term to downplay tensions between his administration and Benjamin Netanyahu's, is criticizing Obama in the sharpest terms to date and "calls on the Administration to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish state. Israel is America's closest ally in the Middle East....The Administration should make a conscious effort to move away from public demands and unilateral deadlines directed at Israel, with whom the United States shares basic, fundamental, and strategic interests." As Vice President Biden said last week in Israel, "Progress in the Middle East occurs when there is no daylight between the United States and Israel." (Politico)
See also AIPAC Calls on Obama Administration to Defuse Tension with Israel
The escalated rhetoric of recent days only serves as a distraction from the substantive
work that needs to be done with regard to the urgent issue of Iran's rapid pursuit of
nuclear weapons, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and all her Arab neighbors.
(American Israel Public Affairs Committee)
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Information and resources on Iran, the September 2009 events and advocacy tools.
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UnitedagainstnuclearIran.com
Top news, commentary, analysis, official documents, and reference materials on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Stay informed on the most serious threat facing the Jewish people.
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