HILLARY’S TOXIC MIDDLE EAST ‘TRIP’

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November 1, 2009 at 9:30 am (Corrupt Politics, Deceit, Illegal Settlements, Israel, Occupation, Palestine)

Is she on drugs or booze? ……The things she has been saying definitely indicate one or the other. Perhaps V I Ps should have their luggage checked before entering a country…. at least this one in particular.

In Jerusalem, Clinton hails ‘unprecedented’ Israeli settlement concessions

Israel is making “unprecedented” concessions on West Bank settlement construction, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Saturday after arriving in Israel in the latest U.S. bid to renew peace talks in the region.

“It has always been an issue with negotiations,” she said. “What the Prime Minister has offered in specifics of a restraint on the policy of settlements which he has just described – no new starts for example, is unprecedented in the context of prior to negotiations.”

“It’s also the fact that for forty years, Presidents of both parties have questioned the legitimacy of settlements, but I think that where we are right now is to try to get into the negotiations. The Prime Minister will be able to present his government’s proposal about what they are doing regarding settlements which I think when fully explained will be seen as being not only unprecedented in response to many of the concerns that have been expressed,” Clinton went on to say.

Read the rest HERE

Clinton endorses Israeli view: 'Settlments are not obstacles...'

That should make Abbas stronger and more loved by his people! Can't arm twist the usurpers? I bet we can pressure the victim!
Reuters, here

"Hillary Clinton turned U.S. pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday when she endorsed Israel's view that its expansion of settlements on occupied land should not be a bar to resuming peace talks.

On a flying one-day visit across the Middle East, President Barack Obama's secretary of state appeared to complete what is at least a shift in emphasis from the new U.S. administration, which in its first months in office this year strongly endorsed Palestinian demands that all Jewish settlement must be halted.

Obama himself, after persuading Abbas in September to meet new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called only for "restraint" in settlement, not the "freeze" he initially spoke of. On Saturday in Jerusalem, Clinton agreed with Netanyahu that it was unprecedented for Abbas to shun talks due to settlements.....

Clinton praised Israel's efforts and said she expected its proposals for talks would address past criticism: "The prime minister will be able to present his government's proposal about what they are doing regarding settlements, which I think when fully explained will be seen as being not only unprecedented but in response to many of the concerns that have been expressed."..... Obama faces an early setback in his presidency if the two sides refuse even to talk.

Netanyahu's coalition, including pro-settler groups, does not believe Abbas is strong enough to deliver Israel security in any deal. Some analysts see Netanyahu's cooperation with Obama's demand for a resumption of talks intended mainly to ensure U.S. support against Iran. ...

Clinton's spokesman denied a suggestion that she had specifically asked Abbas to accept Netanyahu's offer to limit settlement building to 3,000 new units in return for a resumption of talks."

Posted by G, Z, or B at 1:13 AM

Radwan: Clinton’s remarks on settlement expansion dealt a blow to Abbas

[ 01/11/2009 - 04:42 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan stated Sunday that US secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s remarks on the need to resume Palestinian negotiations with Israel without asking it in advance to halt settlement expansion dealt a heavy blow to Mahmoud Abbas and his negotiators.

Radwan added that this American stand proved the credibility of the position voiced many times by Hamas that these frivolous negotiations would lead to more Palestinian concessions, vulnerability and begging at American tables.

He stressed that Abbas and his negotiators must be aligned with the choice of the Palestinian people, the resistance and the national constants instead of chasing a mirage leading to more land annexation, Judaization and security collaboration with the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian resistance.

Commenting on whether Abbas would stick to his opposition to the resumption of negotiations with Israel in light of the settlement activities, the Hamas official said that Abbas is unpredictable and his decisions are made by the American administration.

Speaking at a joint press conference ahead of her meeting with the Israeli premier, Clinton stated Saturday that a freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank is not a pre-condition for the resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

“There has never been a pre-condition. It's always been an issue within the negotiations," Clinton said.

"I want to see both sides as soon as possible begin in negotiations. Both president Obama and I are committed to a comprehensive peace agreement, she added.




Palestinians Accuse Clinton of Killing Peace Talks

01/11/2009 The Palestinians on Sunday accused US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of undermining progress toward Mideast peace talks after she praised Israel for offering to curb some settlement construction.

After meeting Israeli and Palestinian leaders during a visit Saturday, Clinton called for an unconditional resumption of peace talks and welcomed Israel's offer for a slowdown in settlement activity. But Palestinians rejected the idea of resuming talks, reiterating their demand that Israel must first freeze all construction of settlements.

"I believe that the U.S. condones continued settlement expansion," Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan Khatib said in a rare public chiding of Washington. "Calling for a resumption of negotiations despite continued settlement construction doesn't help because we have tried this way many times," Khatib added. "Negotiations are about ending the occupation and settlement expansion is about entrenching the occupation."

Palestinians expressed deep disappointment and frustration at Clinton's words, which signaled a departure from past US calls for a complete freeze on settlement activity. "If America cannot get Israel to implement a settlement freeze, what chance do Palestinians have of reaching agreement with Israel on permanent status issues?" Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

Similar sentiments were voiced by Jordan and Egypt, the only two Arab countries to have peace agreements with Israel. The two countries said most of the blame lay with Israel, but signaled their unhappiness with the American shift.

Jordan's King Abdullah II traveled to Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. After the meeting, a royal palace statement released in Jordan said both leaders "insisted on the need for an immediate halt of all Israeli unilateral actions, which undermine the chances of achieving peace, especially the settlement construction."