White House: Israeli settlement plan 'counterproductive'

[BecauseIKnow]

Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday a new Israeli settlement expansion plan was "counterproductive" and could make it harder to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

"We reiterate our longstanding opposition to settlements and East Jerusalem construction and announcements," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

Israel plans to build thousands of new homes for its settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, an Israeli official said earlier, defying a U.N. vote that implicitly recognized Palestinian statehood there.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative government had authorized the construction of 3,000 housing units.

"We believe these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations or achieve of a two state solution," Vietor said. "Direct negotiations remain our goal and we encourage all parties to take steps to make that easier to achieve."

 

[BecauseIKnow]

I wonder when the world can stop Israel from building these illegal settlements.

 

[BecauseIKnow]

Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday a new Israeli settlement expansion plan was "counterproductive" and could make it harder to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

"We reiterate our longstanding opposition to settlements and East Jerusalem construction and announcements," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

Israel plans to build thousands of new homes for its settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, an Israeli official said earlier, defying a U.N. vote that implicitly recognized Palestinian statehood there.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative government had authorized the construction of 3,000 housing units.

"We believe these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations or achieve of a two state solution," Vietor said. "Direct negotiations remain our goal and we encourage all parties to take steps to make that easier to achieve."

this is standard rhetoric for Washington:...they typically release public statements like this in a weak attempt to dispel the obvious wink and a nod they give to all Israeli actions---including settlement expansion....this is a war of attrition and the Israelis expect to slowly steal the remnants of Arab land and expel those who remain

LOL! I know that, I was actually gonna bold that and write "really Washington?"

............

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Did Israel give up Gaza in '05 for peace or so Hamas would have a closer launching pad?

 

[Roudy]

Well, thanks to this latest UN move, now that there is no party in the West Bank to negotiate with any longer, Israel can just go ahead and annex ancient Judeah and Samaria, and invite all it's citizens to move there.

 

[BecauseIKnow]

Well, thanks to this latest UN move, now that there is no party in the West Bank to negotiate with any longer, Israel can just go ahead and annex ancient Judeah and Samaria, and invite all it's citizens to move there.

Yeah....with your mentality......

 

[BecauseIKnow]

Did Israel give up Gaza in '05 for peace or so Hamas would have a closer launching pad?

For peace? LOL........do you know anything works? Did Israel abide by the Olso agreements? What about the deal they were supposed to abide by with Gaza that Jimmy Carter enforced? Did Israel do their part in allowing a 100 trucks of goods into Gaza rather then 10?

 

[toastman]

There is no facepalm big enough to describe these two responses

 

[toomuchtime_]

Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday a new Israeli settlement expansion plan was "counterproductive" and could make it harder to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

"We reiterate our longstanding opposition to settlements and East Jerusalem construction and announcements," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.

Israel plans to build thousands of new homes for its settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, an Israeli official said earlier, defying a U.N. vote that implicitly recognized Palestinian statehood there.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative government had authorized the construction of 3,000 housing units.

"We believe these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations or achieve of a two state solution," Vietor said. "Direct negotiations remain our goal and we encourage all parties to take steps to make that easier to achieve."

The WH is correct that the only path to a peaceful two state solution is through direct negotiations, and if serious negotiations were going on or even if there were a reasonable chance they might start soon, this construction project might be seen as counterproductive, but since there is no possibility of such negotiations any time in the foreseeable future, there is no sense win which it can be seen as counterproductive.

As long as Abbas continues to compete with Hamas in a Who Hates Israel the Most contest, Netanyahu will have a free hand to accelerate construction in the West Bank because Abbas' actions have all but destroyed support for left and left center parties that support the recognition of a Palestinian state. The only way to slow down construction in the West Bank now is for Abbas to come to the negotiating table and make realistic proposals for a final settlement. This would revive belief among Israelis that a negotiated peaceful two state solution is possible - fewer than one in five Israelis now believe it is - and put pressure on Netanyahu to slow down construction, but as long as Abbas continues to talk about Israel while refusing to talk to Israel, there will be no serious opposition to accelerated construction in the West Bank.

 

[toomuchtime_]

I wonder when the world can stop Israel from building these illegal settlements.

Construction projects that are approved by the Israeli government are in no sense illegal regardless of whether they are being built by Palestinian Arabs or Israeli Jews.

 

[nesta]

I wonder when the world can stop Israel from building these illegal settlements.

Construction projects that are approved by the Israeli government are in no sense illegal regardless of whether they are being built by Palestinian Arabs or Israeli Jews.

unfortunately for the israeli govt international law says they are, and that trumps israeli law every single time.

 

[toomuchtime_]

I wonder when the world can stop Israel from building these illegal settlements.

Construction projects that are approved by the Israeli government are in no sense illegal regardless of whether they are being built by Palestinian Arabs or Israeli Jews.

unfortunately for the israeli govt international law says they are, and that trumps israeli law every single time.

You are mistaken. There are no international laws that apply to this.

 

[eots]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqJ-JR_vBo0]THIS IS MY LAND - YouTube[/ame]

 

[nesta]

Construction projects that are approved by the Israeli government are in no sense illegal regardless of whether they are being built by Palestinian Arabs or Israeli Jews.

unfortunately for the israeli govt international law says they are, and that trumps israeli law every single time.

You are mistaken. There are no international laws that apply to this.

actually there are, and they declared all settlements as illegal over 40 years ago. you need to educate yourself.

 

[toomuchtime_]

THIS IS MY LAND - YouTube

Don't give up hope. Someday you may yet learn to form thoughts of your own and to use words to express them.

 

[toomuchtime_]

unfortunately for the israeli govt international law says they are, and that trumps israeli law every single time.

You are mistaken. There are no international laws that apply to this.

actually there are, and they declared all settlements as illegal over 40 years ago. you need to educate yourself.

Where you come from there may be rumors that such laws exist, but in fact they don't. Look for them and you'll realize you've been suckered.

 

[nesta]

You are mistaken. There are no international laws that apply to this.

actually there are, and they declared all settlements as illegal over 40 years ago. you need to educate yourself.

Where you come from there may be rumors that such laws exist, but in fact they don't. Look for them and you'll realize you've been suckered.

I come from the world, and have a degree in international relations. you are very very stupid, these laws do exist, and they trump every other set of laws in the world.

 

[toomuchtime_]

actually there are, and they declared all settlements as illegal over 40 years ago. you need to educate yourself.

Where you come from there may be rumors that such laws exist, but in fact they don't. Look for them and you'll realize you've been suckered.

I come from the world, and have a degree in international relations. you are very very stupid, these laws do exist, and they trump every other set of laws in the world.

We both know you are just repeating rumors you have never investigated. If you believe such laws exist, with your extensive background in international relations, you should have no trouble producing them, but you won't be able to do that because they don't exist.

 

[eots]

this is my land - youtube

don't give up hope. Someday you may yet learn to form thoughts of your own and to use words to express them.

sometimes its speaks more when it comes straight from the evil racists horses mouth

 

[toomuchtime_]

this is my land - youtube

don't give up hope. Someday you may yet learn to form thoughts of your own and to use words to express them.

sometimes its speaks more when it comes straight from the evil racists horses mouth

Clearly you still have a lot of work to do, but we can count that as a start.