Posted on 04/25/2012 5:02:49 AM PDT by SJackson
THE United States has raised concern to ally Israel over a decision to legalise three settler outposts, calling the move unhelpful to making peace with the Palestinians.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland reiterated Washington's opposition to settlement activity on the West Bank and said the United States asked Israel, through its embassy in Tel Aviv, for "clarification."
"We are obviously concerned," Nuland told reporters.
"We don't think this is helpful to the process, and we don't accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity," she said.
"We make this case every time we have an incident like this that it is not helpful to the process - it doesn't get us where we need to go," the spokeswoman said, adding: "We will continue to raise it as we have."
Nuland made her remarks after Israel said it had decided to legalise three settler outposts, a move denounced by the Palestinians.
. . . The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a ministerial committee had decided "to formalise the status of three communities which were established in the 1990s," marking the first time the government has created new settlements since then, according to watchdog groups.
The three outposts - Bruchin, Rechelim and Sansana - had no Israeli legal status when they are set up. They will join the 120 official settlements across the occupied West Bank that are home to more than 342,000 people.
The decision was announced just as US envoy David Hale was visiting the region in an effort to revive the moribund peace process.
Hale met in Amman with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who condemned the Israeli decision. Hale also held talks with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, Nuland said.
Nuland rejected a charge that Israel was undercutting the US envoy's mission, saying: "David Hale has been in the region all week trying to work on the issues involved here and bring the parties back to the table."
US President Barack Obama has vowed full support for Israel but has had an uneven relationship with Netanyahu.
The occupant of our White House is concerned over anything that helps Israel. Real Americans support Israel’s efforts to defend itself and to provide homes for its people.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
Though he wasn't consistant on the issue, GWB called these facts on the ground. 10 to 15 years is a lot of failed negotiations, including two failed offers giving Arafat and later Abbas what they've asked for. Except the right of return, which would be the easiest way to destroy Israel.
Rechellim
Bruchin
Sansana
In other words, The ends justify the means.
ML/NJ
Yes, of course.
Let’s wring our hands over Israeli “settlements”, while winking at the bloody insane Iranians and Norks developing nuclear weapons to kill us all.
Yeah, right.
The idiots in our State Department have not the sense or ability to accept that ONLY the extinction of the State of Israel will satisfy the Arab world.
Then again, maybe they do and act accordingly.
Screw the Pali’s.
I suppose that the Bozo Administration thinks that the Paleostinian launching of hundreds of explosives-laden rockets IS helpful to the peace preocess, seeing as how it hasn’t said bupkis about them.
Also, the Azlatan Liberation Front has released a statement condemning the United States for its continuing settlement activities in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, mentioning that “it doesn’t help the peace process.”
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland...I looked up her Bio and can't get a handle on her ideology (like: Moonbat Kool-Aid drinker or pro American Patriot). She's worked for Repub admins (and for VP Cheney). And she's worked for Dem admins too.
But one thing stands out -- she's a career bureaucrat. From day one after getting out of college she's only worked for the 'G', in the State Dept as a FSO. She's never had a 'real job' in the 'real world' and that can't ever be good, now can it.
Ergo, how would she really know what's good for Israel. She's always been surrounded by pipe smoking eggheads.
Let Soetero move their diplomatic HQ to Jerusalem then they can b#### a little but really, Israel is holding back 65,000,000 hostile arabs and muzzies; either get in and help as allies do or shut the heck up. So tired of the “settlements’ lingo.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.