White House ‘Dismayed’ at 900 New West Bank Settler Homes
Gilo is connected by tunnel and segregated roads to another West Bank settlement, Gush Etzion.
Today, Middle East Special Envoy George Mitchell and his dedicated team of peacemakers have returned very disheartened from Israel and Palestine, where they have been this week trying to get the peace process restarted. Their mood of defeat, as several people I’ve spoken to have related, is because the current Israeli government has just announced it will build 900 new settler homes in an area of the West Bank called Gilo – south of Jerusalem, very close to Bethlehem.
The White House has put out the following statement:
We are dismayed at the Jerusalem Planning Committee’s decision to move forward on the approval process for the expansion of Gilo in Jerusalem. At a time when we are working to re-launch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed. Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations. The U.S. also objects to other Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing, including the continuing pattern of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes. Our position is clear: the status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties.
To learn more about the sideshow of religious extremism that has been playing out in the West Bank this week, read my colleague Neal Ungerleider’s excellent piece on the activities of a New York state assemblyman from Brooklyn, Dov Hikind, here.
UPDATE on today’s developments…. The Associated Press quoted Palestinian Prime Minister Saeb Erekat and the UK government :
“We condemn this in the strongest possible terms,” Erekat said Tuesday. “It shows that it is meaningless to resume negotiations when this goes on.” The British government also criticized the plan to expand the sprawling neighborhood of Gilo, where about 40,000 Israelis live. “The Foreign Secretary has been very clear that a credible deal involves Jerusalem as a shared capital,” a British statement said. “Expanding settlements on occupied land in east Jerusalem makes that deal much harder. So this decision on Gilo is wrong and we oppose it.”
Jerusalem and settlements are key sticking points in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it, but no other country recognized that move. About 180,000 Israelis live in neighborhoods built around east Jerusalem. Israel insists that east Jerusalem is part of Israel and rejects efforts to restrict building there.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth just posted a comment from the office of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu:
“The Gilo neighborhood is an integral part of Jerusalem just like Ramot Eshkol, Rehavia, the French Hill, and Pisgat Ze’ev. This issue has broad national consensus.” PMO sources said, “The building in Gilo has been occurring continuously for dozens of years and there is nothing new about the planning and building proceedings.”
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It’s none of Obama’s business
Except andylevinson, is is.
In response to another comment. See in context »As long as Israel has the upper hand over Palestine financially, politically, and militarily, and has not the slightest qualm mitigating their own violence and ethnic subjugation by pointing to the violence of others, a peaceful resolution to the “Israeli-Palestinian question” would seem impossible. The US must make any and all aid to Israel contingent upon a time-table for real concessions and progress toward a two-state solution. Israel has enjoyed a diplomatic free ride in the west for far too long.
John, It’s interesting to me that you reach a conclusion similar to that of the Time magazine political journalist Joe Klein a week or so go. See his writing on this subject here: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/11/05/middle-east-clarity/
In response to another comment. See in context »A Palestinian friend of mine actually got upset with me the other day when I brought up the two-state solution. She is firmly in favor of the shared government, one state solution. I have one of the books she drew inspiration from, but unfortunately its on my read as soon as my papers are finished list.
Whichever solution you prefer, the fact remains that we have always given Israel a free ride. It is unfortunate that it comes at the expense of another group of people who hold just as valid a claim to the land, if not more so. One huge problem on the American side that a very large group of Americans refuses to look critically at Israel. Part of that is because of the Holocaust of course, but another vital reason is religious. I know many people who you just can’t talk to about this, because they simply won’t hear a bad word about God’s chosen people. As far as they are concerned, the Jews will never be wrong, because of their place in the Old Testament. That reasoning makes for very short conversations.
Shawn, thanks for your comments. Most American and Israeli Jews I work with don’t see the world from the point of view that they or Israel can never be wrong. I realize, of course, that there are extremist views held by people of all religions. I urge you to look at the websites of Churches for Middle East Peace and Americans for Peace Now – two organizations with remarkably similar public policy positions, though the former is “officially” Christian and the latter, Jewish. Get involved in the Middle East peace movement. So much of our world’s future depends on establishing peaceful nations there, and limiting the spread of nuclear weapons.
In response to another comment. See in context »Being a bully, is all Israel knows.
The fact that the U.S spends our tax dollars on Israel, is what really pisses me off.
Monkeymuggs, I hope you aren’t speaking from an anti-semitic perspective, because that’s not what True/Slant conversations are about. The $3 billion annually is a lot of money, but I wonder whether without it if there would even be an Israel today. The United States needs strong allies in the Middle East and the Israelis share American values, culture, and language. Do you know that 70% of Israelis support the two-state solution? It’s only a very vocal (and unfortunately politically powerful minority) who are making trouble by their settlements and violent actions in Palestine – the religious and nationalistic extremists are an embarassment to most Israelis. I urge you to read more about the issues; three Israeli daily newspapers are free online: Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, and Yedioth Ahronoth.
In response to another comment. See in context »No of course not, there’s no bigger fan of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld than I am : )
I understand that a lot of them do support the Two State Solution and that means a great effort in vocalizing that. But much like the Native Americans being driven from their Ancestral homes in our history, isn’t this basically the same thing that’s happening to the Palestinians, just in a differnt time?
I just don’t see how their is a Balance between what Israel says and what they do.
In response to another comment. See in context »Eileen,
How is being disturbed, upset, or completely against occupation of the Palestinian people anti-semitic? In fact where in Monkeymuggs comment does he mention anything anti-semitic? he doesnt. he states the truth. your notion of strong allies to “share” American values, culture, and language is worn out rhetoric. “share”? really? where is the “sharing” in Iraq? Afghanistan? and who are we to impose any of our consumption consumerism to any other country?
more importantly, where is the responsibility or accountability in occupation or colonialism?
quit being sheep and think outside the bun.
In response to another comment. See in context »