15 March 2010

Israeli Settlement Announcement “An Insult,” Clinton Says

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — Obama administration officials continue to criticize Israeli settlement expansion following the March 9 announcement of 1,600 new units in East Jerusalem, saying bilateral ties remain strong but that Israel and the Palestinians need to take measures to build up confidence and trust that will help advance peace efforts.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a March 12 interview with NBC television, described the Israeli announcement, made during Vice President Biden’s trip to the region, as “an insult” both to the vice president and to the United States.

“We share common values and there is so much that Israel represents that we support,” Clinton said.  “But we believe in the two-state solution” that establishes a viable, contiguous and independent Palestinian state and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said he believes in.  The Obama administration wants to see “confidence-building measures and actions that will result in the resumption of negotiations and then a move toward the resolution on the final status issues,” she said.

“The United States is deeply invested in trying to work with the parties in order to bring about this resolution,” she said.  “We don't get easily discouraged, so … we're working toward the resumption of the negotiation.  But we expect Israel and the Palestinians to do their part, and not to take any action that will undermine the chance that we can achieve the two state solution,” she said.

The secretary acknowledged on CNN television March 12 that there are those on both sides as well as “outside agitators” who are not in favor of a two-state solution or a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Both sides had agreed to hold indirect talks on March 8. Clinton said the resumption of talks “is the most important goal,” and that the Obama administration wants “the difficult negotiations that will lead to the two-state solution” to proceed. 

In a joint statement March 12, the United Nations, the European Union, the Russian Federation and the United States, collectively known as the Middle East Quartet, also condemned Israel’s announcement of new settlements and agreed to “closely monitor developments in Jerusalem” and consider additional steps to address the situation on the ground.

“The Quartet will take full stock of the situation at its meeting in Moscow on March 19,” the statement said.

All four reaffirmed that “unilateral actions taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community,” and that peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, including the establishment of a Palestinian state “is in the fundamental interests of the parties, of all states in the region, and of the international community.”

Senior White House adviser David Axelrod told ABC television March 14 that the Israeli announcement “seemed calculated to undermine” the recently announced proximity talks, which he said was “distressing” to those who are promoting peace in the region.

The conflict serves as a flash point throughout the region, and it is important not only to the security of Israelis and Palestinians, but also the United States “that we move forward and resolve this very difficult issue,” Axelrod said.