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No green line set bij International treaty or 1967 borders demanded by UNSC resolution? Clinton speaks of “disputed” instead of occupied territory of the West Bank. Netanyahu must be pleased.
- “Clinton had traveled to the region only reluctantly, concerned her visit might be seen as a failure, according to several U.S. officials. She agreed to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders after pressure from the White House, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration thinking.”
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MARRAKESH, MOROCCO (Washington Post) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to soothe Arab uneasiness Monday over weekend statements she made praising the Israeli government’s offer to “restrain” growth in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying it “falls far short” of the Obama administration’s hopes and is “not enough.”
Clinton insisted that the administration still considers settlement activity on disputed territory “illegitimate” and advocates a freeze. But she repeated at a news conference here that Israel’s offer was “unprecedented” and that it “holds the promise of moving a step closer to a two-state solution.”
In remarks made Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Clinton set off a firestorm in the Arab world by emphasizing the “unprecedented” nature of Israel’s offer while failing to add that it was “not enough.”
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Clinton’s attendance here at a conference on development and governance in the Arab world was initially intended to solidify the goodwill engendered by President Obama’s speech to the Islamic world in Cairo in June. But it was quickly overwhelmed by controversy over Clinton’s remarks.
Netanyahu: I hope Palestinians 'get a grip,' renew peace talks
Clinton’s comments represented a shift in the dynamics since Obama took office, with initial pressure on Israel giving way over the past several weeks to apparent impatience over the refusal of Palestinian officials to resume peace talks in the absence of a settlement freeze.
Clinton’s remarks in Jerusalem, made as she stood smiling at Netanyahu’s side, “mean that we are once again in the same vicious circle we were in the 1990s,” Moussa said. “Everything is negotiable. We are not ready to be taken for a ride again by Israeli diplomacy.”
Mitchell: “Goldstone Report Deeply Flawed” …
Mitchell: “Goldstone Report Deeply Flawed”
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(Haaretz) – “There’s a sense of urgency, a sense of involvement and commitment on the part of the president,” Mitchell said before delivering a speech on conflict resolution at Colby College, where his father once worked as a janitor.
Mitchell acknowledged setbacks in the process, including a United Nations report that accused Israel and Palestinian militants of committing war crimes last winter.
“We continue in our efforts, notwithstanding that report,” Mitchell said. He noted that the United States has taken the position that the report is one sided and deeply flawed.
[Biased in Middle-East peace talks? Who, I? – Oui]
See my previous diary on Gulliver’s Hillary Clinton’s travels …
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
