Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House foreign affairs subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, said focusing on settlement activity “detracts” from top U.S. goals in the region. However, he added: “I do not support a settlement freeze that calls on Israeli families not to grow, get married, or forces them to throw away their grandparents. Telling people not to have children is unthinkable and inhumane.“
Think Progress, from MSNBC transcript of Andrea Mitchell and Liz Cheney exchange:
MITCHELL: Can you clarify at all a dispute some or among former Bush administration middle east experts and officials as to whether there was a secret promise or an agreement with Israel that Israel could proceed with settlement expansion to accommodate population growth?
CHENEY: It is a very complicated issue and the Road Map does talk about settlements. … But there’s the issue of, in existing settlements, if a family has a baby, are you allowed to build another room in the house? … I think there’s no question that this White House has gone much further in saying to the Israelis, “you must absolutely stop all of it.” And without, in my view, being as demanding of the Palestinians in terms of the security side of this equation.
I love this bullshit. Do you think anyone really gives a shit if you build an extra wing to the house that you built illegally on land that doesn’t belong to you? The whole world wants you to move out of the house and buy one in the land the United Nations authorized Israel to have. It’d be nice if you left the fixtures for some Palestinian family.
I don’t think there is anything more galling than to have U.S. politicians whine about “telling people not to have children,” when what we’re really saying is to get the fuck out of the West Bank and stop making problems for world peace.
