Washington – The White House said on Friday a new Israeli settlement expansion plan was “counterproductive” and could make it harder to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.
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“We reiterate our longstanding opposition to settlements and East Jerusalem construction and announcements,” White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
Israel plans to build thousands of new homes for its settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, an Israeli official said earlier, defying a U.N. vote that implicitly recognized Palestinian statehood there.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative government had authorized the construction of 3,000 housing units.
“We believe these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations or achieve of a two state solution,” Vietor said. “Direct negotiations remain our goal and we encourage all parties to take steps to make that easier to achieve.”
The U.S. supported EY at the UN and Netanyahu turns around 24 hours later and pokes us in the eye with these settlements. And you wonder why many American leaders wonder about why we expend political currency over and over again in a manner that only worsens our global position. I guess Netanyahu feels he doesn’t need the few friends that EY has left in the world and is more worried about satisfying the right wing politicians going into an election.
It’s exactly what EY needs right now … Housing is crazy expenses right now … Build bold build, the US should worry about its own economy
Well america should first look whre they got thier land. our land was given to us and promised to us by Hashem.
One good counterproductive act (the PA’s recent bid to the UN for statehood) deserves another (Israel building new homes in East Jerusalem)!
I think it’s counterproductive that Obama the Bolshevik thinks he can unilaterally speak for 100% of America when barely 51% elected him.
If congress wants to issue an opinion, it would be a slightly more realistic representation of what America really thinks of Israel building on their own rightfully won (in a war) land.
The US cannot handcuff a whole population- the community needs to expand and if the arabs want to talk let them sit down to the table about it
The readers on this board must understand, that there is a difference between love for EY, and dealing with some of the politicians in EY, who represent the state, but don’t always have its citizens’ best interest at heart. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of Israelis live within the pre-1967 borders, and want the state of war with the Arabs (which has been going on for decades), ended. It is extremely tense to constantly live under fear of suicide bombings, rocket shellings, knifings and other attacks on the street. Instead of the government of EY being grateful for the political and economic support which it receives from the USA, it engages in a provocative act, regarding expansion of settlements. One of these days, many of the existing settlements on the West Bank will be evacuated by a new Israeli government, and the settlers who refuse to leave, will be left at the mercy of whatever Arab entity takes over. This madness has to come to an end within the next few years; it can not go on indefinitely!
Normally, Israel is treading on egg shells to not build much, or change too much on the ground which might make Palestinians nervous about what it will get from talks.
But now, the Palestinians broke free, so Israel is no longer bound. Israel can now feel freer to build within agreements, how it would like.