Netanyahu defiant in face of criticism over new construction

By Christi Parsons and Paul Richter

Source:  JWR

Prime Minister's pronouncement was consistent with Israeli policy, yet his sharp tone may embarrass Obama at a moment of vulnerability

JewishWorldReview.com | 

AKARTA, Indonesia — (MCT) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clashed publicly with President Barack Obama on Tuesday over Jewish construction in disputed east Jerusalem, throwing a teetering Mideast peace effort deeper in doubt.

Responding to criticism from Obama, Netanyahu struck a defiant tone in commenting on Israeli plans to build 1,300 new units in east Jerusalem, saying his government had never agreed to limit construction in the city.

"Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is the capital of the state of Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement. "Israel sees no connection between the diplomatic process and the planning and building policy in Jerusalem."

Netanyahu's statement came hours after Obama warned that the new construction, announced by Israel on Monday, could harm a renewed Mideast peace process begun in early September. Obama made the remarks a few hours after arriving in Indonesia, a boyhood home for four years, where he is set to deliver the second major speech Wednesday in his ongoing outreach to the Muslim world.

"This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations, and I'm concerned that we're not seeing each side make that extra effort involved to get a breakthrough," Obama said. "Each of these incremental steps end up breaking trust."

Israel also is moving ahead with 800 units in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Israel's latest expansions are part of "a premeditated process to kill the possibility of an independent Palestinian state." He said that if the Obama administration is unable to get peace talks back on track in the coming weeks, it should recognize an independent Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders.

While Israel claims all of Jerusalem, the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem, which was captured in the 1967 Mideast war, as the capital of their future state. The international community does not recognize Israel's annexation of the city's eastern sector, and a succession of American administrations have urged Israel not to build there.

Netanyahu's pronouncement was consistent with Israeli policy, yet his sharp tone may embarrass Obama at a moment of vulnerability. Obama is visiting the world's largest Muslim country, and the rebuke may again raise questions in the Muslim world about how much influence the American leader really has on a priority issue.

The disagreement also comes a week after Obama suffered a devastating setback in the midterm elections, which gave Republicans — who are likely to be sympathetic to Netanyahu's point of view — majority control of the U.S. House. Some Israeli officials and U.S. analysts had predicted before the election that Netanyahu might feel emboldened to push back against Obama if the Democrats fared poorly.

Obama launched a new peace effort on Sept. 1, but it has been nearly stalled for the past two months because of the Palestinians' refusal to negotiate unless Israel halts construction in the disputed areas. Palestinian leaders contend the Jewish settlers are taking lands whose ownership should be decided in negotiations.

Robert Danin, a former U.S. official and specialist on Arab-Israeli issues, said it may have been politically risky for Netanyahu to oppose the new construction project, since Israelis view such building as fully within their rights.

With Netanyahu planning to meet Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington on Thursday, the strong words will not help the U.S. efforts to bring the two sides back to the peace table, said Danin, who is with the Council on Foreign Relations.

"For there to be a deal, the temperature has to come down," he said.

Israel's go-ahead to build 1,300 new homes in east Jerusalem met with a storm of disapproval from around the world, including by all four members of the diplomatic Quartet that seeks to promote the Mideast peace talks — the United Nations, theEuropean Union, Russia and the U.S.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that Russia views the announcement "with most serious concern. ... We find it essential that the Israeli party refrain from the declared construction."

Obama's relationship with Netanyahu has gone through alternating periods of warm and cool.

Obama was infuriated at Netanyahu in March, when new construction was announced inEast Jerusalem just as Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Jerusalem on a goodwill trip.

In July, Obama welcomed Netanyahu to the White House warmly.

Yet he has maintained pressure on the Israeli prime minister like few recent presidents. In September, Obama called on Netanyahu from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly to halt settlement construction in the name of peace, a plea Netanyahu has so far resisted.