By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and AP
Tensions ran high in Jerusalem on Tuesday while Washington waits for Israel's response to demands raised by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that could help defuse the diplomatic crisis with the United States.
Clinton's demands include the cancellation of the Ramat Shlomo construction project in East Jerusalem, which was announced during U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region last week.
She also wants goodwill gestures toward the Palestinians and a public declaration by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his willingness to discuss the conflict's core issues in the framework of peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.
| A State Department spokesman said Tuesday night that the United States expects an official response from Israel soon. He said Clinton and Netanyahu may speak by phone as early as Wednesday. Netanyahu is expected to deliver Israel's official response to Clinton during that conversation.
Israel's response had been set to be the main focus of a meeting Wednesday of the forum of seven senior cabinet members, though that meeting will now not take place. Tensions escalated further in East Jerusalem on Tuesday when a policeman suffered a light gunshot wound while on patrol in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood. The policeman was rushed to the Hadassah Unversity Hospital branch on Mount Scopus. Security forces combed the area in search of the gunman. Fourteen other policemen suffered light injuries from stone-throwers throughout the day. Some 60 Arab rioters were arrested. Clinton said Tuesday that Israel must prove it is committed to the Mideast peace process. But she brushed aside suggestions that relations with the main U.S. ally in the Mideast are in crisis over Israeli plans to build new Jewish housing in East Jerusalem. She stressed that the United States remained committed to Israel's security despite current tensions. "We are engaged in very active consultations with the Israelis over steps that we think would demonstrate the requisite commitment to the process," Clinton said. She had outlined her steps that Israel could take in a telephone call to Netanyahu on Friday. Netanyahu's office responded quickly, issuing a statement that read, "The government of Israel has proved its commitment to peace in the last year in words and in deeds." Still, in contrast to the tone of messages exchanged in recent days, the statement from Netanyahu's office included praise of Clinton's assertion that ties between Israel and the United States are unbreakable and that Washington remained committed to Israel's security. The statement also accused the Palestinians of failing to take steps toward launching negotiations with Israel while engaging in incitement in Jerusalem. "We are going above and beyond in an effort to resume negotiations without preconditions and the Palestinians are doing nothing," said a senior aide to the prime minister. "This needs to be clear to the international community." Also, on Tuesday, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, said that he was misquoted in the media over the recent crisis. "Recent events do not - I repeat - do not represent the lowest point in the relations between Israel and the United States," clarified Oren. "Though we differ on certain issues, our discussions are being conducted in an atmosphere of cooperation as befitting long-standing relations between allies. I am confident that we will overcome these differences shortly." Discussions between Netanyahu aides and White House officials continued Tuesday in an effort to ease tensions. The U.S. Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, canceled a visit to the region that was scheduled to begin on Tuesday. | ||
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