U.S. to Israel: You Decide Nukes in Iran, We Decide Bedrooms in Jerusalem

Am I the only one to note a smidgen of inconsistency in U.S. policy toward Israel?

On the one hand, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on May 27 about Israeli Jewish residences on the West Bank and the eastern part of Jerusalem: With respect to settlements, the President was very clear when Prime Minister Netanyahu was here. He wants to see a stop to settlements – not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions. We think it is in the best interests of the effort that we are engaged in that settlement expansion cease. That is our position. That is what we have communicated very clearly, not only to the Israelis but to the Palestinians and others. And we intend to press that point. Likewise, Barack Obama said on June 4: "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. … It is time for these settlements to stop." And Clinton reiterated on June 17: We want to see a stop to the settlements. We think that is an important and essential part of pursuing the efforts leading to a comprehensive peace agreement and the creation of a Palestinian state next to a Israeli Jewish state that is secure in its borders and future More...

Guest Column——Bio and Archives

Items of notes and interest from the web.