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Israel told it must make urgent peace concessions
Philadelphia News.Net
Sunday 14th March, 2010
The Israeli prime minister was strongly rebuked on Friday by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who angrily questioned him on Israel's refusal to back down on settlement expansion.
She told him that the US was totally unsatisfied with Israeli responses over Jewish settlement expansion in disputed East Jerusalem.
Last Tuesday the Israel Interior Ministry made an announcement on the approval of new settlements as US Vice President Joe Biden was landing in Israel.
Ms Clinton described the timing of the announcement as an insult.
She told the PM he was sending highly negative signals at a time when the US is trying to re-establish the Middle East peace process.
After the call, Mr Netanyahu held an urgent meeting with his Cabinet and has since told the US, through Israel's chief Washington ambassador, that the announcement was made without his knowledge, and the timing was unintentional.
He said he had apologised to Biden while he was in Israel and had hoped the matter was at an end.
It is believed the Israeli weekend Cabinet meeting was conducted in a business-as-usual manner, with Netanyahu calling for calm and instructing his ministers not to publicly discuss the matter.
He is reported to have said: “First of all, I suggest that we don’t get carried away, that we calm down. What did my friend, Bennie Begin, say? ‘I was a youth and have matured.’ We know how to deal with these situations with equanimity, responsibly and with seriousness.”
But since the Biden incident, Israel has been left with a growing sense that Washington will use the issue to squeeze diplomatic concessions from Mr Netanyahu, including the cancellation of the Ramat Shlomo building project and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners.
Ramat Shlomo is a controversial construction project which involves the construction of 1600 settler houses has been slammed by the Obama administration,
Washington has told Netanyahu it wants to see the release of some Palestinian prisoners, to be used as a confidence building measure for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
US Mideast envoy George Mitchell arrives in Israel later this week to try to get Israel to immediately deal with core issues in the negotiations, rather than the stalling technical issues that Israel has demanded.
Obama’s top adviser David Axelrod has expanded on the Biden trip, telling ABC’s This Week the Israeli settlement announcement was an affront and an insult.
He said: “What it did was it made more difficult a very difficult process and seemed calculated to undermine the proximity talks. Israel is a strong and special ally. The bonds run deep. But for just that very reason, this was not the right way to behave. That was expressed by the secretary of state, as well as the vice president.”
When asked about how the US had approached the matter with the Israelis, Axelrod said he was not willing to discuss diplomatic talks but said he thought they understood clearly why the US is upset.
Middle-East peace talks are now on hold, with the Palestinians saying they will not return to the negotiating table until Israel rescinds the decision for new construction in East Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Egypt has called on the international community to continue pressuring Israel over the issue.
On the weekend, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki was quoted as saying international criticism should continue so that Washington is able to understand that the Israeli government is not working to promote peace.  Email this story to a friend
Comments on this story
Anonymous
03-14-10, 10:11 PM |
US pushing hard for Israeli peace concessions
Israel needsd to tell the US that it will run its own country.
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BRIDGESElsie22
03-14-10, 11:25 PM |
answer this topic
Cars and houses are not cheap and not everyone can buy it. Nevertheless, <a href=
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BetsyBoyle
03-15-10, 01:02 AM |
answer this post
I received 1 st <a href=
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RoseRowe30
03-15-10, 01:55 AM |
reply
I had a dream to make my own commerce, nevertheless I didn’t have enough of cash to do that. Thank God my close dude told to use the <a href=
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UnregisteredGaryTest
03-15-10, 02:18 AM |
Trying to emulate the truncation bug <a href=“http://www.bignewsnetwork.com”> bnn.com </a>
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UnregisteredGaryTest
03-15-10, 02:20 AM |
Trying to emulate the truncation bug <a href=“http://www.bnn.com”> bnn.com </a>
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WHITFIELD32Elsa
03-15-10, 04:04 AM |
respond this topic
Do not a lot of money to buy a car? Don’t worry, because that’s achievable to get the <a href=
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KAL
03-15-10, 04:06 AM |
answer this post
You run your own country build whatever you want on your soil but not to cheat, lie and steal from others. There won’t be peace until unless otherwise you behave yourself. Don’t claims yours when its belong to others.
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Anonymous
03-15-10, 06:07 AM |
re:answer this post
Israel does belong to the jews,by their right and by Gods' might!,Furthermore,there will never be real peace until the Lord returns.
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FryeJANINE
03-15-10, 06:20 AM |
answer this topic
Do you recognize that it’s high time to get the <a href=
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secret slave
03-15-10, 11:08 AM |
So it could not be PEACE in flauntation exchange rate policy
salaam,
Claims it can recognize corruption policy makings ?
What makes corruption recogizeable policy?
It took not from wisdom in policy makings !
Anti wisdom policy is not from wisdom
Tiller by name is no garden by name,
male is no female
fig branch is no olive branch,
fraud = robbery,
feeamanellaah
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kcyang8
03-15-10, 11:34 AM |
lip service,mouth's job again
If Obama/Clinton team, or internal and external ministers, aare really serious, the War of words don’t add up to peace, nor Isreal ceased to stop settelment expansion and enchroching.
Take up ya gut, and ya shinning Nobel or Nobody’s Prize vis-as-vis CUT OFF THE GURATEEN OF 2 billions loan.
Hust as the Bush senior’d done prior.
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moby
03-15-10, 11:47 AM |
tell hillary
tell hillary to take up a new trade like taking care of bill,she screwd up that and is screwing up the world,if you cant take care of your house,what makes you think hillary can take care of the world,by the way hill,take barry with you................
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Panim
03-15-10, 06:08 PM |
Evenhandedness
When will we hear U.S. demands more from Palestinians. This Bum U.S. administration is too stupid to ask that question.
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Shadow
03-15-10, 06:12 PM |
Building construction
Why not stop construction in the United States. People are being kicked out of their homes to build skyscrapers and malls. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
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Neale
03-15-10, 06:24 PM |
US and European action
The United States and European Union should recognize a Palastenian State within two months. The borders of the new State should consist of All the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem i.e. the 1967 borders. Those settlers who prefer to stay where they are will get Palestian citizenship and honor Palestian laws.
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Anonymous
03-15-10, 08:25 PM |
Why should Israel give up their land for a two party state?God gave it to them,they have the right to do with it as they want.
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Idontunderstand
03-15-10, 08:43 PM |
What's the ground for peace negotiation?
I don’t understand what these
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Idontunderstand
03-15-10, 08:44 PM |
What's the ground for peace negotiation?
I don’t understand what these
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Idontunderstand
03-15-10, 08:45 PM |
What's the ground for peace negotiation?
How can there be peace when Israel and PA have fundamental differences over Jerusalem and many other matters?
How can any third party be neutral in such kind of conflict? You either support Israel or go against Israel, depending on whether you believe God has given the Land to Israel. There is no middle ground.
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