Hillary Clinton Backs Down on Illegal Israeli Settlements in Saudi Arabia, Retracts Position in Qatar !!!

Us Denies Backing Down On Settlement Issue

Tuesday February 16, 2010 03:45 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

In a visit to the Arab Gulf state of Qatar Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the US has not backed down on demanding that Israel end its expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the West Bank – despite earlier statements by US President Barack Obama that the US was willing to compromise on the issue.

When Obama became US President in January 2009, he made a strong demand that Israel end all settlement construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Several months later, after tremendous pressure from Israel and the Likud-Zionist lobby in the US, Obama said that he was wrong to have demanded so much, and would leave the matter open for review during negotiations. Following that pronouncement, settlement construction by Israeli and US settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem exploded, with hundreds of new foundations laid and thousands of new units approved for construction by the Israeli government.

All Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land are illegal under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory.

According to the Arabic news service Aljazeera TV, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated, "Our position is that settlement activity is illegitimate, and that the final resolution of borders has to be worked out that will give both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians, the secure borders that they deserve to have".

Clinton failed to address the fact that Israel has demanded full control over all borders of a Palestinian 'state' (which itself would be divided into multiple enclaves with Israeli control of all borders and in between the 'statelets' making up the Palestinian 'state'), a condition which has rendered the so-called 'two-state solution' unachievable.

She added that the so-called 'two-state solution would be based “on the 1967 lines, with the agreed swaps, and taking into account subsequent developments," again ignoring the fact that Palestinian people whose land was stolen to create the state of Israel upon it have never agreed to 'land swaps', and have instead demanded a geographically contiguous state with Jerusalem as its capital, the release of the nearly 10,000 Palestinian detainees, and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had accused the US of backing down on its call for a settlement freeze. He backed his claim on the statements of President Obama, and the continued US aid to Israel, which has increased despite Israel's refusal to implement a freeze.

A spokesperson for President Abbas, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said that the Palestinian Authority submitted a proposal to the US negotiating team, but have yet to receive a response. He added, "We have told the Americans we are ready for proximity talks but we want answers to certain questions."

In Saudi Arabia, Clinton gives nod to settlements

Published today (updated) 16/02/2010 17:20

Washington – Ma'an –

A day after she acknowledged frustration with the US role in the stalled Mideast peace process, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirmed US calls on Monday for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders with the exception of some settlements.

“The parties can mutually agree on an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements,” she said during a news conference in Riyadh alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal.

The reference to “subsequent developments” was a an acknowledgement of Israeli intentions to maintain control of many settlements built on land taken from Palestinians after the 1967 occupation of the West Bank. Nearly half a million Israelis live in the settlements, particularly in a ring around East Jerusalem, the Palestinian capital.

A year of US efforts to revive the long-stalled peace process have failed largely due to Israel’s refusal to halt the ongoing expansion of the settlements.

Clinton’s Saudi allies took a firmer line on settlements. “We also believe that Israeli settlements are illegal and illegitimate,” Foreign Minister Al-Faisal told reporters at a news conference dominated by a discussion of Iran.

Clinton’s stopover in Saudi Arabia included a lavish lunch with King Abdullah and a working meeting with the monarch.

A day earlier Clinton made an unusual acknowledgement of frustrations with the Palestinian-Israeli impasse.

Speaking at the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, Clinton said she knows "people are disappointed that we have not yet achieved a breakthrough.”

“The President, Senator Mitchell, and I are also disappointed. But we must remember that neither the United States nor any country can force a solution. The parties themselves must resolve their differences through negotiations,” she added, according to a transcript.

“The United States stands ready to play an active and sustained role, and to support the parties as they work to resolve all permanent status issues including security for Israelis and Palestinians, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem,” she also said.

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