Once again American opposition to the construction of housing for Jewish citizens in Israel’s capital is heard loud and clear. Israel’s staunchest ally has its own agenda, one that is contrary to the interests of the future Jewish State of Israel, which today finds itself fighting to maintain sovereignty of the G-d given capital of the Jewish People, Yerushalayim.

Channel 10 News reported government officials approved the construction of 300 new homes in Yerushalayim and more over the “Green Line”. In an absurd reality, the White House and US Department of State view both Yerushalayim and yishuvim over the green line as “Israeli occupied”, proven by the fact Jewish children born in the capital have “Jerusalem” listed on their American passports, for America dare not elicit the ire of the PA (Palestinian Authority) and international Islamic community by writing “Israel” on the passport.

Yasser Arafat is the modern day founder of the myth known as “The Palestinian People”, and with the assistance of Israeli leaders including Yitzchak Rabin, Shimon Peres and the administrations since the 1993 signing of the Oslo Accord, that myth has become a reality. We now refer to Arabs as “Palestinians” and it is Israel that persuaded the White House to remove Yasser Arafat from its terrorist list, leading to the Nobel Prize given to the late arch murderer, a prize he shared with Rabin and Peres. The days of yesteryear during which “Arafat” was synonymous with Arab terrorism and airplane hijackings have been replaced with his burial site alongside the PA’s Mukata headquarters in Ramallah, the site set aside for PA national leaders.

The US State Department views Israel’s announcement as undermining ongoing efforts by Secretary of State John Kerry to jumpstart stalled diplomatic talks with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), which translates to additional good will gestures and concessions by Israel.

Channel 10 quoted a White House official saying “We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement construction, which undermines efforts to achieve peace. This is contrary to the obligations undertaken by Israel.”

Chief PA negotiator Dr. Saeb Erekat, a remnant from the Arafat days, attacked Israel’s declaration, blaming Israel for the breakdown in the diplomatic process. He accuses the Israeli administration of “conducting ethnic cleansing”, citing the demolition of Arab homes in the eastern capital. Dr. Erekat fails to address the fact that the homes were built illegally, some on state land.

Israeli officials countered, accusing Abu Mazen and other PA leaders of not being serious when they express a desire to return to the negotiating table.

The scene is actually a familiar one, in which Prime Minister Netanyahu permits or encourages such declarations, only to back down quietly under US pressure but benefiting from the media hype. This permits him to portray his cabinet as a right-wing government, when in actuality, it is far from this reality as Yesh Atid and The Movement parties hold senior cabinet posts and are both far from fans of the settlement movement. The prime minister himself has joined the list of Israeli leaders who have turned their backs on the Jewish People and HKBH, expressing their support of the two-state solution, giving the future Palestinian state a share hold in Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim chas v’sholom.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)