Rice: Israel Housing Plan Undermines Talks

U.S. Takes Israel To Task For Planned Expansion Into Part Of Jerusalem Claimed By Palestinians

(AP)  The United States took Israel to task Saturday for a planned expansion of Jewish homes in the portion of Jerusalem that Palestinians claim for the capital of a future state.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said such moves undermine the U.S.-backed peace talks.

Rice, while making what has become nearly a monthly trip to assess the negotiations, said Israeli housing expansions are a recurring problem. In particular, she says she will discuss the latest announcement of 1,300 new homes in east Jerusalem with every Israeli official she sees.

With peace talks under way, Rice said, now is a time to build confidence on both sides. "This is simply not helpful to building confidence," she told reporters before arriving in the Israeli capital.

An aide to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that Abbas will insist that Rice pressure Israel to stop the construction. At the same time, an Israeli government spokesman said that Israel was looking forward to "constructive talks" with Rice.

Israel has committed to halt all settlement activity. But the country insists it has the right to build housing for Jews in east Jerusalem because it annexed that sector of the city shortly after capturing it in the 1967 Mideast war.

Israel's announcement on Friday brought to more than 3,000 the number of homes Israel has approved for construction on land that Palestinians claim since the renewal of the U.S.-supported peace talks late last year.

"We firmly condemn this project, which reveals the Israeli government's intention to destroy peace," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

The fate of Jerusalem, site of shrines sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity, lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians hope to make east Jerusalem the capital of their future state and say continued Israeli construction there makes it difficult to persuade ordinary Palestinians to support peace talks and not violence.

The future of the city recently became an issue in the U.S. presidential election, when Democrat Barack Obama alarmed Palestinians and Arab-Americans by saying Jerusalem should be Israel's capital and remain undivided. He did not initially mention the Arab claim.

Rice and other U.S. officials have publicly scolded Israel over housing before, but her frustration was evident Saturday. Over the year and a half that Rice has been making regular peace missions, there has been a pattern of provocative Israeli housing announcements just before or just after her visit.

"Unfortunately there have been a few whether I'm coming or not," Rice told reporters. Her clipped tone and arched brows revealed annoyance. "Look, it's a problem, and it's a problem that we're going to address with the Israelis," she said.

Although Israeli authorities say the announcements are not related, Palestinians say the timing is clearly meant to placate hard-liners in Israel who oppose the land concessions that would be inevitable if the U.S.-sponsored peace process ever bore fruit.

President Bush predicted Saturday that an Israeli-Palestinian agreement is possible by year's end.

A total of 270,000 Jews live in the West Bank, and an additional 180,000 live in east Jerusalem.

Privately, the Palestinians acknowledge that Israel will hold on to much of the disputed land where Jews live, and are prepared to trade it for equal amounts of Israeli territory. But they say the reports of continued construction weaken support in the Palestinian street for Abbas' administration.

Abbas briefly called off peace talks over the construction earlier this year.

Rice also said Israel has not fully honored its pledge to make practical improvements in the daily lives of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where as a security precaution the Israeli military restricts Palestinian movement and controls details of ordinary life.

There are a few small success stories, such as demonstration projects in which Palestinian security forces are operating with some autonomy, Rice said.

"But it's not enough, and there certainly and clearly needs to be more," she said. "I understand the security considerations as well as anyone but the obligation was undertaken to improve the lives of the Palestinians, and we're going to have to work very hard if we're going to make that true in a broader sense."

[l00ker]

Posted by l00ker at 08:31 PM : Jun 16, 2008----- They''''re NOT going anywhere. They are home for good.

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Posted by cfin5 at 08:50 PM : Jun 16, 2008
+ report abuse


Then they should get lost, and leave us out of it.

[cfin5]

Posted by l00ker at 08:31 PM : Jun 16, 2008----- They''re NOT going anywhere. They are home for good.

[l00ker]

God bless the "Nation" of Israel. They are correct in ignoring Secretary of State Condolleezza Rice. What, where, when , and how the Israelis provide housing for their own citizens is their business, not ours. Do they come over here and make a scene when we put up a new housing development somewhere? We''''d tell them to get lost!........If an aggressor attacked me without justifiable cause, and I won the battle,.....I''''m gonna keep the spoils of war. And this does include the very dirt that the aggressor gambled away into forfeiture to me by reason of their hatred. If Israels neighbors don''''t want to lose anymore of their dirt,....I suggest they stay home and quit coveting the fruit of Israels success and learn to take care of themselves with the dirt that they have left,....lest they lose more of it.


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Posted by cfin5 at 08:15 PM : Jun 16, 2008
+ report abuse


Americans will soon tell this cancerous ball of puss to get lost indeed, and the jew, as history as always shown, will again find himself walking around with his scarlet star of dirt, and picking up all of his broken glass, parasite.

[cfin5]

God bless the "Nation" of Israel. They are correct in ignoring Secretary of State Condolleezza Rice. What, where, when , and how the Israelis provide housing for their own citizens is their business, not ours. Do they come over here and make a scene when we put up a new housing development somewhere? We''d tell them to get lost!........If an aggressor attacked me without justifiable cause, and I won the battle,.....I''m gonna keep the spoils of war. And this does include the very dirt that the aggressor gambled away into forfeiture to me by reason of their hatred. If Israels neighbors don''t want to lose anymore of their dirt,....I suggest they stay home and quit coveting the fruit of Israels success and learn to take care of themselves with the dirt that they have left,....lest they lose more of it.

[l00ker]

Those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who curse her will be cursed.

The United States of America is the most blessed prosperous country on the face of the planet, and we bless Israel. The Muslim Arab nations surrounding Israel hate Israel and are always cursing it and wishing for all the Jews to be pushed into the sea.

So do the math folks. It''''s not hard to figure out. Simply pick up a history book.


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Posted by Concerned08 at 09:41 PM : Jun 15, 2008
+ report abuse


For some reason, I keep getting stuck between 1913 and 1948, before the theft of Palestinian land in order to create that cancerous sore, Israel. And we are all witnessing all of the blessings that we have received here in America, ever since that cancerous appendage began sprouting off of our @ss. My that cancerous lump of puss go the way of the Soviet Union. Billions upon billions of dollars, and countless America lives, Rachel Corrie included, for nothing but global hatred, scorn and ridiculed. So you need not worry, we''ve done and are doing the math.

[tm7057red]

RICE, MONTHLY TRIP------
What a waste of jet fuel, and taxpayers money.
Soon a new president, then no Rice, and no Bush.

Hopefully then next ones will be better regardless who they are.

[watcher269-2009]

Rice: Israel Housing Plan Undermines Talks

But who cares - It''s ISRAEL after all

[kretos-2009]

the truthful headline should be:

ISRAEL BUILDING ON STOLEN LAND WITH AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS PROMOTES TERRORISM


Posted by neoconRcrazy

i totally agree with you man

[kennedy7955]

Israel has 150 nuclear weapons?

Where did this number come from since the Israelis have never admitted to having nuclear weapons let alone the number of them.

[kennedy7955]

How brave of Condoleeza Rica and the administration to finally criticize Israel for its settlement building just 6 months from the election. Too little, too late. This is just another example of Bush having lost a great opportunity, it fallin through his fingers. We can only imagine what would have happened if this administration had been smart and brave calling on Israel to stop building on occupied lands 8 years ago.