US Defeated In Israel Row Over West Bank

[Dalai Lama]

The announcement is a significant admission of diplomatic failure and a serious blow to Barack Obama's record as a peacemaker.
The US has been trying to persuade Israel to extend its temporary reduction in settlement construction in the West Bank for two months now.
It is reported to have offered incentives including a number of F35 fighter jets in return for Israel agreeing to stop building settlements.
But Israel's right wing government under Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to give ground on the issue.

Washington offered Israel several incentives to stop construction
The announcement is a significant admission of diplomatic failure and a serious blow to Barack Obama's record as a peacemaker.
The US has been trying to persuade Israel to extend its temporary reduction in settlement construction in the West Bank for two months now.
It is reported to have offered incentives including a number of F35 fighter jets in return for Israel agreeing to stop building settlements.
But Israel's right wing government under Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to give ground on the issue.

Palestinians say they will not return to peace talks while settlement construction continues. The US has repeatedly called on Israel to freeze settlement building.
The Israeli government says the Palestinians are imposing preconditions and will not comply with the demand.
America's utter failure to enforce its will will be seen as a sign of weakness in this region.
Israel will have been seen as successfully facing down a superpower and appearing thus far to have got away with it.
Players in the process are trying to put the best gloss on the news.

Middle East Quartet Envoy Tony Blair said he believed all sides are still committed to peace.
"I think the decision to step back from a way of proceeding based around the moratorium is a sensible one in the light of what has happened but I would not take that as a diminution of people's determination to do what it takes to get this process going."
Israel's security cabinet has also agreed to lift its embargo on some exports from Gaza imposed four years ago.
Israel has been widely criticised for banning the export of goods from the coastal strip.
Mr Blair said it was good news as far as it went.
"It is a significant step forward and I welcome it. It will allow, albeit limited, resumption of exports out of Gaza".

Obama Administration Admits Defeat In Efforts to Halt Israel's West Bank Settlement Construction | World News | Sky News

 

[TruthSeeker]

Obama is a child in the Presidential chair. He thought his charisma would melt the stony hearts of the Israeli right. Ha! The only thing that Netanyahu will pay attention to is if we cut off his supply of spare parts for all his military toys and prohibit American groups from transferring money to Israel. But no USA politician since Eisenhower has had the courage to go against the American Jewish Lobby to do anything close to that. Israel does, in truth (sayeth me, a TruthSeeker) control the USA foreign policy in the Middle East. Obama is just the latest in a long line of our Presidents to learn that reality.