U.S. Rebukes Israeli Plans For New Settlements In East Jerusalem [View all]
Source: Washington Post
The Obama administration admonished Israel on Tuesday for approving 1,500 new Jewish homes in Arab East Jerusalem, saying continued building calls into question Israels commitment to peace talks and a separate, independent Palestinian state.
We are deeply disappointed that Israel insists on continuing this pattern of provocative action, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
The unusually harsh rebuke to the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East reveals profound skepticism about whether the leadership of both Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank has the will to return to substantive talks.
These repeated announcements and plans of new construction run counter to the cause of peace, Nuland said. Israels leaders continually say that they support a path toward a two-state solution, yet these actions only put that goal further at risk.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-rebukes-israeli-plans-for-new-settlements-in-east-jerusalem/2012/12/18/277f577a-494b-11e2-b6f0-e851e741d196_story.html