The Obama administration on Monday harshly criticized its top Mideast ally, Israel, over new settlement construction plans in areas the Palestinians claim for a future state.
The State Department said the plans, notably one to begin preliminary work on an especially sensitive piece of land outside Jerusalem known as E1, are “especially damaging” to prospects for a resumption in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and run counter to longstanding U.S. policy.
“The United States opposes all unilateral actions, including West Bank settlement activity and housing construction in East Jerusalem, as they complicate efforts to resume direct, bilateral negotiations, and risk prejudging the outcome of those negotiations,” spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. “This includes building in the E1 area as this area is particularly sensitive and construction there would be especially damaging to efforts to achieve a two-state solution.”
Israel on Friday announced that it would move ahead on plans to build 3,000 settler homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem on territory the Palestinians claim as theirs to punish the Palestinians for winning U.N. recognition. It also said it would begin planning work in E1, where construction would essentially end hopes for an eventual Palestinian state to be contiguous.
Building in E1 would sever the link between the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim for a future capital. It would also cut off the northern part of the West Bank from its southern flank.
“We have made clear to the Israeli government that such action is contrary to U.S. policy,” Toner said. “The United States and the international community expect all parties to play a constructive role in efforts to achieve peace. We urge the parties to cease unilateral actions and take concrete steps to return to direct negotiations so all the issues can be discussed and the goal of two states living side by side in peace and security can be realized.”
The Palestinians say construction in that territory would kill any hope for establishing a viable state of Palestine. Successive U.S. governments have agreed, and under intense American pressure, Israel has avoided building settlements in the area. It has, however, developed roads and infrastructure and built a police station.
(AP)
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4 Responses
there are no more peace talks when the PA decided to break the Oslo agreement. figures that the US administration fails to understand this.
Israel needs to throw out all Arabs.
So the Palestinians are allowed to get away their unilateral action but Israel gets scalded!!
Do what ya gotta do. Decades of waiting for “peace” have all proven to be a waste of time. time to give it up.
The USA administration and the Pals do not want peace. If the USA Admin. wanted to stop the Pals they would have done so. The UN vote by the USA admin. was all for show. The whole purpose is to make sure Isreal is soon surrounded by enemies and thereafter removed from the Middle East. Isn’t it a little strange the USA admin. supports the islamist in Eygpt whose party send groups of men out to rape and imtimidate women protesters, leaves women equal rights out of constitution and sends his thugs to silence the judiciary after the Presedent seizes dictorial power? The USA admin. wants a Jew free middle east, (why cannot Jews live in the new Pal country or even Saudi Arabia for that matter?)and a Caliphate. Time to wake up and deal with the reality that the USA admin. is no friend of Isreal.