United States and Israel Squable Over New Homes

by Eric on March 15, 2010

If you have been living under a rock, let me update you on a recent situation that has grown increasingly popular for debate in the news and political forums.  While the highest ranking visit from a United States official since Obama became president, the Jerusalem municipality approved a plan to construct 1,600 new homes in Jewish neighborhoods on the eastern side of the city.

I agree that the timing of the announcement was far from optimal, but it was not a malicious attack or intended insult on Joe Biden’s visit to Israel.  Your city likely approves new neighborhoods every day.  Jerusalem’s city planners treat both sides of the city the same.  Israel allows any Israeli to live in either side.  To translate: Arabs can live in Western Jerusalem, Jews can live in Eastern Jerusalem.

The United States is taking this unfortunate timing, but not unfortunate incident, a little too far.  As a New York Daily News article says, it is a dangerous overreaction.

In fact, the words of Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton, and top advisor David Axelrod in the last few days suggest, instead, that what really concerns the human rights gurus in the White House is preserving the option of apartheid Palestine. After all, the purpose of denying the ability of a Jew to build a house on land that theoretically may one day change hands, is to ensure that a Jew-free Palestinian state can come into existence unimpeded.

So, despite many attempts to start a peace process back up, we are stalled yet again with the United States blaming Israel.  The Palestinian Authority refuses to even sit down and talk with Israelis.  Hamas is trying to destroy Israel with continued terrorist attacks.  The attacks are again so frequent that they rarely show up in any news source beyond the blogosphere.

If I were the United States government, I would calm down about the whole thing and move on.  You have bigger fish to fry.

About the author

Eric Eric is the founder and editor of IsraelSituation.com. He has been to Israel many times including a semester at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the former president of the Israel advocacy group at the University of Colorado and teaches about Israel and the Media at a local religious school.

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  • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Anthony Reich

    The timing of the announcement of the new houses (by the Interior Minister and not the municipality) was undoubtedly shocking. In a way, though, I am pleased that it came out like that. There can be no doubt that this Israeli government, like previous governments over the last 40 years, will not cease construction in Jerusalem. It is good that this has been unequivocally stated. Unlike the West Bank, East Jerusalem has been formally annexed by the State of Israel. As such, it has a very different legal status and there is no reason for the government to stop constructing new homes that are badly needed in the city.

    The Palestinian reaction reminds me a little of the reaction to Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount which “triggered” the second intifada in 2000. The truth is that the intifada was on the verge of happening, and just required a good excuse to allow it to officially begin. The same is true of the reaction to this announcement of the new construction.

    I can never see the Israeli people ever agreeing to allow the Palestinians to have their capital in Jerusalem. For 19 years when Jordan ruled over East Jerusalem, the Palestinians never laid claim to it as a “Palestinian capital”. The same is true of the period prior to that. It is only since Israel has been governing over the city that this notion has arisen. I cannot help feeling that they only want what is in Jewish hands.

  • http://www.israelsituation.com/ Anthony Reich

    I cannot help feeling that the Americans are really getting this very wrong. While it is true that no Middle East peace can be found without US sponsorship, the Obama administration seems to be making a real meal of this one.

    Obama has made some significant statements in word and action. After being in office for nearly a year and a half, he has visited Egypt but not Israel. All he could muster was his vice president to pay a visit, and that after more than a year in power. He has acknowledged that he got his policy wrong previously, and this clumsy attempt to push things forward seems equally problematic.

    Demanding that Israel stops building housing in Jerusalem is not going to work. Would Obama demand that Brown does not build houses in London? Asking Israel to make a “gesture” is also not reasonable. Especially after all the gestures that have been made in the past. Releasing further prisoners should only be done in return for the release of our prisoner.

    Ironically, Obama’s presidency has seen a period of relative quiet between Israel and the Palestinians. This is despite Obama, and not because of him. His lateattempts to get peace talks going now are badly timed and not effective.

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