Obama: halt to new Israeli settlements is in America's security interests

[IndianaGreen]

Obama: halt to new Israeli settlements is in America's security interests

Chris McGreal in Washington and Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem

The Guardian, Friday 29 May 2009

Increasingly fractious relations between the US and Israel hit a low unseen in nearly two decades yesterday after the Jewish state rejected President Obama's demand for an end to settlement construction in the West Bank, and the president responded by suggesting that Israeli intransigence endangers America's security.

The dispute, which blew in during the open hours before Obama met the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, reflects the depth of the shift in US policy away from accommodating Israel, and towards pressuring it to end years of stalling negotiations over the creation of a Palestinian state as it continues to grab land in the occupied territories.

Obama put down a marker at a difficult meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, in Washington last week when he demanded a halt to the expansion of settlements, which now house close to 500,000 in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, as they are a major obstacle to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Yesterday the Israeli government spokesman, Mark Regev, said Netanyahu will defy the White House call by continuing construction in existing settlements.

"Israel … will abide by its commitments not to build new settlements and to dismantle unauthorised outposts," he said. "As to existing settlements, their fate will be determined in final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. In the interim period, normal life must be allowed to continue in these communities."

Obama responded with a sharp rebuff a few hours later by pointedly reiterating his demand for an immediate settlement freeze after meeting Abbas yesterday. The president said that "stopping settlements and making sure that there is a viable Palestinian state" is in the long term security interests of Israel as well as the US.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/28/barack-obama-jewish-settlements-israel-palestine-relations

[bemildred]

1. I like the affirmative language Obama is using.

"will abide by it's commitments".

[IndianaGreen]

2. The proof is in the pudding

Let's see who blinks first.