Posted on 03/24/2010 1:19:00 PM PDT by reaganaut1
Municipal officials approved the Jewish housing project in one of Jerusalem's most volatile Palestinian suburbs just hours before Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, met Mr Obama for emergency talks.
US officials had hoped that a meeting between the two leaders could defuse tensions triggered when Israel announced plans to build 1,600 new homes in east Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo settlement during a visit earlier this month by Joe Biden, the US vice-president.
But in the days leading up to the meeting, Mr Netanyahu defiantly rejected US demands to reverse the expansion of Ramat Shlomo and halt all building in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day war.
That Israel then approved a new building project, the suspension of which the United States had demanded as long ago as last July, can only have infuriated Mr Obama.
The meeting at the White House was the iciest between an American president and an Israeli premier in recent years. Mr Netanyahu was treated to a series of small but calculated diplomatic slights that left him in no doubt of the White House's displeasure.
There were no photographs before or after the meeting, no questions from reporters and no press briefing or "readout" afterwards.
The “honest and straightforward discussion” ended with areas of “disagreement”, according to Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, who added that US officials were seeking “clarification” of Israel’s plan for a further expansion of Jewish housing..
But an Israeli government spokesman sought to put a brave face on the encounter, saying: “the atmosphere was good”.
But the evidence suggested it was anything but. The meeting itself was in two parts: an initial 89-minute session followed by a further 35 minutes at Mr Netanyahu's request, after he had consulted his officials.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
If they need more spit, they can have some of mine.
Thanks reaganaut1.
Zero wants to stay out of Iran’s business, (our enemy) yet, sticks his nose in Israel (our ally) What’s wrong with this picture?
Jesse Jackson warned that zero was not a friend to Israel, but, did the kool aid drinkers in this country listen? No, and NO~ They wanted historic change. I’m just as mad at the people who voted for this clown as I am at zero and the Congress.
Zero wants to stay out of Iran’s business, (our enemy) yet, sticks his nose in Israel (our ally) What’s wrong with this picture?
Jesse Jackson warned that zero was not a friend to Israel, but, did the kool aid drinkers in this country listen? No, and NO~ They wanted historic change. I’m just as mad at the people who voted for this clown as I am at zero and the Congress.
GOOD. Please do it again for me.
GOOD. Please do it again for me.
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