US Blasts Israeli Settlement 'Bombshell'
10 March 2010
Sky News - America has condemned Israel for announcing 1,600 new settlement homes on occupied land in the middle of a US vice presidential visit.
Joe Biden walks in the cemetery on Mt Herzel on the second day of his visit
Joe Biden has issued a sharp rebuke in language that does not disguise America's frustration:
"I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem," he said.
"The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I've had here in Israel.
"We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them."
The statement was issued at the end of a day that should have been all about relaunching the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Earlier, Mr Biden was sounding optimistic as he announced proximity negotiations.
Israeli PM Netanyahu
"I think we are at a moment of real opportunity and I think that the interests both of the Palestinians and the Israeli people are, if everyone steps back and takes a deep breath, are actually very much more in line than they are in opposition," he said.
The vice president had stressed the closeness of Israel and America and stressed the latter's unvarnished support for its middle eastern ally.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had responded in kind:
"I also appreciate the administration's effort to advance peace in the region. I know that this has been difficult and has required a great deal of patience but I am pleased that these efforts are beginning to bear fruit."
But by the time the two were sitting down to supper, Israel had dropped its settlements bombshell, plans for sixteen hundred new settler homes north of Jerusalem.
Today, the Vice President meets Palestinian leaders in Ramallah who will vent their fury at the latest development.
