March 22, 2010Netanyahu moves to soothe U.S. allies
Israeeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington for a series of talks with U.S. officials on escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Netanyahu's visit Monday comes at a difficult period in U.S.-Israel relations, aggravated by Israel's announcement of plans for 1,600 Jewish homes in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of a future state.
The announcement coincided with a peace-brokering mission to Israel by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden. The timing of the news threw peace talks into doubt and set off Palestinian protests in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Netanyahu is in Washington to convince upset U.S. officials that Israel is willing to compromise to find peace. He is to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday afternoon, then have dinner with Biden on Monday night. He will also give a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel group, before meeting U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
Clinton spoke to the same group on Monday and used the opportunity to denounce the settlement plans. The timing of the announcement exposed differences between the U.S. and the Jewish state that others could exploit, she said.
"We objected to this announcement because we are committed to Israel and its security, which we believe depends on a comprehensive peace," Clinton said.
She got a warm welcome from the pro-Israel group, but her criticism of Israel was met with silence.
In advance of his U.S. visit, Netanyahu has outlined steps his government is willing to take, but he was firm Sunday that Israel would not halt construction in Jewish neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem.
Some Israeli officials say that while there will be no formal freeze, construction in those neighbourhoods may be restricted, as happened with Netanyahu's recent partial 10-month West Bank construction freeze.
U.S. envoy urges restraint
Meanwhile, U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell was in Amman, Jordan, trying to restart stalled peace talks amid a tense atmosphere. This would be possible if the two sides exercised restraint, he said Monday.
"We seek to establish the conditions which will make possible the early commencement of proximity talks," he said. "We urge all sides to exercise restraint. … What is needed now is a period of calm, quiet in which we can go forward in the effort in which we are engaged."
Mitchell met with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in the Jordanian capital. Following the meeting, Erekat was conciliatory, saying the Palestinians wanted to give "a chance" to indirect talks with Israel mediated by the United States.
But separately, Erekat condemned Israel's "settlement activities" in east Jerusalem and added: "We need to give the proximity talks the chance they deserve, but we want to make sure that the decisions of the Israeli government to construct 1,600 housing units in east Jerusalem and more to come is really stopped."
He said the Palestinians also wanted assurances that similar Israeli moves would be prevented in the future.
A palace statement from Jordan's King Abdullah II quoted Abdullah as telling Mitchell that Israel "must stop all unilateral measures in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially provocative moves aimed at changing Jerusalem's identity and threaten its holy sites."
Jordan is one of the United States's strongest allies in the Middle East, and is one of only two Arab nations to have signed peace treaties with Israel.
Israeeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington for a series of talks with U.S. officials on escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Netanyahu's visit Monday comes at a difficult period in U.S.-Israel relations, aggravated by Israel's announcement of plans for 1,600 Jewish homes in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of a future state.
The announcement coincided with a peace-brokering mission to Israel by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden. The timing of the news threw peace talks into doubt and set off Palestinian protests in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Netanyahu is in Washington to convince upset U.S. officials that Israel is willing to compromise to find peace. He is to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday afternoon, then have dinner with Biden on Monday night. He will also give a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel group, before meeting U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
Clinton spoke to the same group on Monday and used the opportunity to denounce the settlement plans. The timing of the announcement exposed differences between the U.S. and the Jewish state that others could exploit, she said.
"We objected to this announcement because we are committed to Israel and its security, which we believe depends on a comprehensive peace," Clinton said.
She got a warm welcome from the pro-Israel group, but her criticism of Israel was met with silence.
In advance of his U.S. visit, Netanyahu has outlined steps his government is willing to take, but he was firm Sunday that Israel would not halt construction in Jewish neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem.
Some Israeli officials say that while there will be no formal freeze, construction in those neighbourhoods may be restricted, as happened with Netanyahu's recent partial 10-month West Bank construction freeze.
U.S. envoy urges restraint
Meanwhile, U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell was in Amman, Jordan, trying to restart stalled peace talks amid a tense atmosphere. This would be possible if the two sides exercised restraint, he said Monday.
"We seek to establish the conditions which will make possible the early commencement of proximity talks," he said. "We urge all sides to exercise restraint. … What is needed now is a period of calm, quiet in which we can go forward in the effort in which we are engaged."
Mitchell met with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in the Jordanian capital. Following the meeting, Erekat was conciliatory, saying the Palestinians wanted to give "a chance" to indirect talks with Israel mediated by the United States.
But separately, Erekat condemned Israel's "settlement activities" in east Jerusalem and added: "We need to give the proximity talks the chance they deserve, but we want to make sure that the decisions of the Israeli government to construct 1,600 housing units in east Jerusalem and more to come is really stopped."
He said the Palestinians also wanted assurances that similar Israeli moves would be prevented in the future.
A palace statement from Jordan's King Abdullah II quoted Abdullah as telling Mitchell that Israel "must stop all unilateral measures in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially provocative moves aimed at changing Jerusalem's identity and threaten its holy sites."
Jordan is one of the United States's strongest allies in the Middle East, and is one of only two Arab nations to have signed peace treaties with Israel.
