Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that Israel must prove it is committed to the Mideast peace process with actions, but brushed aside suggestions that US-Israeli relations were in crisis and reaffirmed America’s steadfast commitment to the security of the Jewish state.Clinton said US and Israeli officials were in intense talks about how to repair the damage caused by last week’s Israeli announcement of new Jewish housing in east Jerusalem while US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the country. She said the goal was to relaunch stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
“We are engaged in very active consultations with the Israelis over steps that we think would demonstrate the requisite commitment to the process,” she told reporters at a joint State Department news conference with visiting Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin.
“It’s been a very important effort on their part as well as ours,” Clinton said. “We know how hard this is, this is a very difficult, complex matter. But the Obama administration is committed to a two-state solution, we are committed to a resumption of the negotiations between the parties.”
The announcement of the approval of 1,600 new Jewish homes in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want to be the capital of a future state, while Biden was in Israel deeply embarrassed the administration and Clinton has called it an insult. The uproar has led many to believe that US-Israeli ties may be at their lowest point in history.
Clinton restated US “dismay and disappointment” with the announcement but disputed the perception of the relationship in crisis.
“I don’t buy that,” she said. “I have been around a long time, not that long, but a long time. We have an absolute commitment to Israel’s security. We have a close, unshakable bond between the United States and Israel and between the American and Israeli people who share common values and a commitment to a democratic future for the world.”
Clinton said she remained confident that the US special Mideast peace envoy, George Mitchell, who abruptly postponed a visit to the region this week, would return soon and begin shuttling between the Israelis and Palestinians for indirect negotiations.
“We’ll see what the next days hold and we’re looking forward to Senator Mitchell returning to the region and beginning the proximity talks,” she said. She added that she thought Mitchell’s “legendary patience will win the day as the process gets started again because there is just too much at stake for both the Palestinians and the Israelis.”
{Boston Globe/Matzav.com Newscenter}
Israel needs to prove committment to peace?
How about arabs need to prove committment to stop incitement and killing???
How dare this so called friend say this on a day like today? (I cant believe I used to hold of her, and I voted for her I did this because I am a woman, but I am sorry if shes an anti semite I dont want her anymore) when we suffered the violence of demonstrators of thousands of arabs? And what were the so called demonstrations for? They were for the so called chutzpa of the jews to rebuild an ancient shul these peoples barbaric wild grandfathers destroyed is this normal? is this what she calls friends well with friends like these who needs enemies? Please hilary dont be our friend we dont need sick traitors like yourself!
I have to say that I have put a lot of thought into the events of the last week or so. We have a President who is a child of Esav and Yismoel. Are we really suprised that he is acting towards us the way he is? I don’t care if the White House has Jews working there. All anti-Jewish/Israel govts have always had Jews working in them. I also am thinking that we are told in Chazal that we will be Redeemed in Nissan/Tishrei. May we all be zoche to spend a full Pesach in Eretz Yisroel this year.
it is time that the goverment of eratz yisrael should brush aside the united states once and for all. and for hilary clinton no surprise
Let’s tell it like it is. Israel’s right wing (Likud, Yisrael Beitenu, etc.) DON’T want peace. They WANT THE WEST BANK. Period. No “two states for two peoples” nonsense. They want Greater Israel and will not do anything to jeopardize that fantasy.
The rest of the world seems able to see this. Why can’t we? Israel can either continue to indulge its right-wing kooks, and eventually lose the support of the world, including all that wonderful money from the US, or it can do some serious rethinking of its position on the settlements.
We can’t have it both ways. The world sees our actions, not our fine words. Let’s put the resources into developing the Galil and the Negev, and leave the hilltoppers to raise their money in chutz, which is where half of them come from, anyway.