Clinton Stance on Settlements Stirs Up Palestinians

Palestinian officials have accused the U.S. of killing prospects for peace after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed Israel’s position that West Bank settlements were not a deal-breaker to resuming negotiations. A not-so-nuanced paraphrasing of the policy is exemplified by Israel’s prime minister telling Palestinians to “get a grip.”  —JCL

Reuters:

Pointing an accusing finger at the United States, the Palestinians on Sunday said Washington’s backing for Israeli refusal to halt Jewish settlement expansion had killed any hope of reviving peace negotiations soon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, buoyed by new-found support from the Obama administration, urged the Palestinians to “get a grip” and drop their settlement freeze precondition for restarting talks suspended since December.

On a one-day Middle East visit on Saturday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed Israel’s view that settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank should not be a bar to resuming negotiations—contradicting the Palestinian position.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet in Ramallah last March.