"Enormous Obstacles"

The Grey Lady reported Tuesday night...

In Curt Exchange, U.S. Faults Israel on Housing

President Obama’s criticism of new Israeli housing plans for East Jerusalem, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s even sharper retort, have thrown the Middle East peace talks into jeopardy, with the dispute over Jewish settlements looming as a seemingly insuperable hurdle.

The Obama administration is struggling to restart direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, which stalled last month after the expiration of a partial freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to meet Mr. Netanyahu in New York on Thursday, while Egypt sent two top officials to Washington to discuss ways to salvage the process.

But the brusque exchange between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu reflected again the gulf between Israel and the United States over settlements — an issue Mr. Obama initially made the centerpiece of his Middle East diplomacy. Palestinian officials said Israel’s latest announcement threatened the talks and could prompt a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state.

Brusque indeed...! More on that unilateral Palestinian declaration...

Palestinians demand immediate statehood to counter Israeli 'unilateralism'

Raising the stakes in the deadlock over stalled peace talks, Saeb Erekat said it was clear from the latest announcement of building plans in East Jerusalem and Ariel that Israel wants settlements, not peace.

Bibi merely scoffed at the Palestinians and Obama in his prompt retort...

"Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is the capital of the state of Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement. "Israel sees no connection between the diplomatic process and the planning and building policy in Jerusalem."

But Bibi... Ariel isn't Jerusalem...!

At Foggy Bottom yesterday, PJ , truly pulled off some slick Jiu Jitsu moves...

QUESTION: Different subject. On the Israeli announcement today, the 1500 new apartments in East Jerusalem, yesterday you said that somebody in Israel has made this known in order to embarrass the prime minister and to undermine the process. Do you –

MR. CROWLEY: Well, I suggested that as a possibility.

QUESTION: Yeah. But today prime minister’s –Israeli prime minister’s office has issued a statement defending the announcement, saying that Jerusalem is not a settlement; it’s the capital of the state of Israel. Israel sees no link between the peace process and its development plans in Jerusalem. What’s your reaction to that?

MR. CROWLEY: Well, there clearly is a link in the sense that it is incumbent upon both parties, as we have insisted all along, that they are responsible for creating conditions for a successful negotiation. So to suggest that this kind of announcement would not have an impact on the Palestinian side, I think, is incorrect. We do understand that Israel has its own position on these kinds of announcements. That said, we have indicated that we think these kinds of announcements at this time are – even if there’s a process that’s going to carry over for months, if not years – are counterproductive to our efforts to get the parties into a direct negotiation. So we haven’t changed our view.

QUESTION: But the prime minister’s statement came immediately after, or very soon after the President made his own criticism of the settlement announcement. Doesn’t this appear – don’t they appear to be hardening their position or explicitly rejecting the U.S. stance on this, going into the second phase of --

MR. CROWLEY: Well, again, the Secretary looks forward to her meeting with the prime minister on Thursday. I have confidence that this will be among the subjects discussed.

QUESTION: Do you think she’ll be expressing her invitation? I mean, it sounds like –

MR. CROWLEY: I’m confident that there will be a meeting in New York [...]

QUESTION: The Palestinians have responded, saying that the Israelis are going to take unilateral action; the international community should go ahead and create a state of Palestine.

MR. CROWLEY: And this is why we’ve had a consistent position throughout that both sides have to avoid unilateral actions that really poison the atmosphere and prevent progress towards negotiations, which, again, is the only means through which we can resolve these issues once and for all.

QUESTION: What can you say about the process now? Is there any process – is there anything –

MR. CROWLEY: Well, there’s absolutely a process. What we’re looking for is to make progress, and that is something that we continue to aggressively seek. [...]

QUESTIONER: …It seems that every time there is visitor, a high caliber visitor, be it an American visitor to Israel or an Israeli visitor to the United States, there seems to be an announcement of building settlements.

CROWLEY: Well, I don’t think the Vice President’s taking this personally.

About Biden not taking it personally...

Biden is Not Taking It Personally

...As for Crowley’s apparent faith in the VP’s inner fortitude, Joe Biden’s emotional state should not technically serve as the official barometer for progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Crowley’s suggestion that “it could very well be that somebody in Israel has made this [current settlement plan] known in order to embarrass the prime minister and to undermine the [peace] process” meanwhile dwindles in credibility if we consider Netanyahu’s lack of embarrassment at other recent behavior, such as his scolding of the U.N. Secretary General based on opposition at UNESCO to Israeli confiscation of Palestinian heritage sites.

According to Netanyahu, the U.N. is “distort[ing] historical facts” by refusing to acknowledge the 4,000-year biblically-verified Jewish connection with sites that happen to be located in occupied Palestine. Hopefully Biden will not take it personally if 4,000 years turn out to be more compelling than “forever”.

The hasbara aparatchik immediately leaped into action...

Media Trying to Make Crisis out of Building for Jews in Capital


Mainstream media, led by Israel’s anti-nationalist newspapers, are trying to make a crisis out of previously approved homes for Jews in Jerusalem, Cabinet Secretary Tzvi Hauser told Voice of Israel government radio Wednesday morning. Foreign media often take their cue on local issues from colleagues in the country they are covering.

Hauser stated that building for Jews in the capital will continue. He added that there is no crisis between Israel and the United States over the routine public notice of another stage in the long bureaucratic process before construction begins on more than 1,000 new homes in Har Homa in southern Jerusalem.

The Cabinet Secretary charged that Israeli media have taken the issue to the extreme and that discussions with the Americans are a lot more moderate.

Of course, Bibi wasn't just content enough to slam the door on the Peace Farce...

Netanyahu Says U.S. Must Show a Military Strike Against Iran Is Possible


“The simple paradox is this,” Netanyahu said in a speech yesterday to Jewish activists in New Orleans. “If the international community, led by the U.S., wants to stop Iran without resorting to military action, it will have to convince Iran that it is prepared to take such action.”

Now, if that didn't disgust you enough, Madame Hillary, after talks with Egypt's FM, and, their Chief of Intelligence, and, ahead of Tomorrow's tête à tête with Bibi in the Big Apple...

Clinton nixes unilateral move for Palestinian state

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday the United States does not support a unilateral move by Palestinians to declare a Palestinian state. [...]

"We do not support unilateral steps by either party that would prejudge the outcome of such negotiations," Clinton said.

"Each party has a very strong set of opinions about the way forward," Clinton said. "There will be no progress until they actually come together and explore areas where there is agreement, and ways to narrow areas of disagreement."

"We have always said, and I continue to say, that negotiations between the parties are the only means by which all of the outstanding claims arising out of the conflict can be resolved."

I find it rather hypocritical, Madame, that you're against unilateral actions by any party, yet, you unilaterally hand a UN SC pocket veto to Bibi and further hamstring Abu Mazen...!

Time to have the UN step into the 'process' and arbitrate, since we are not impartial one iota...!


*gah*