OBAMA/GIBBS….ISRAELI BUILDING IN JERUSALEM IS “DANGEROUS”…THEY ARE “DISMAYED”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/18/obama-warns-double-dip-recession/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+foxnews%252Fpolitics+%2528FOXNews.com+-+Politics%2529
Obama Calls Israeli Settlement Building in East Jerusalem ‘Dangerous’
President Obama on Wednesday called it “dangerous” that Israel plans to add 900 new apartments to an existing Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem — an area Palestinians hope to claim as their capital absent a peace agreement with Israel.
President Obama on Wednesday called it “dangerous” that Israel plans to add 900 new apartments to an existing Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem — an area Palestinians hope to claim as their capital absent a peace agreement with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that building permits were permitted for construction in Gilo for what would be upscale dwellings in the lower-middle class neighborhood.
“The situation in the Middle East is very difficult, and I’ve said repeatedly and I’ll say again, Israel’s security is a vital national interest to the United States, and we will make sure they are secure,” Obama told Fox News in an interview in China Wednesday.
“I think that additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel’s security. I think it makes it harder for them to make peace with their neighbors. I think it embitters the Palestinians in a way that could end up being very dangerous,” he added.
The U.S. administration has roundly criticized the decision to expand the settlement, a point of bitter contention for Palestinians who wish to make the Old City of Jerusalem as well as other sites holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians as part of its capital.
That vision is part of a roadmap to a two-state solution that the Palestinians this week have abandoned in hopes of getting pre-emptive U.N. approval for a state that includes East Jerusalem as its capital as well as the West Bank and Gaza.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying it is dismayed at the decision to move forward on the approval process for the expansion of Gilo.
“At a time when we are working to re-launch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed. Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations. … Our position is clear: the status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties,” Gibbs said.
Obama’s remarks came during a one-on-one interview with Fox News’ Major Garrett. In the extensive interview, Obama said that he still expects to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp next year even though his administration is widely expected to miss its self-imposed January 2010 deadline for shuttering the Cuba facility.
Watch the Fox News interview with Obama at 6 p.m. ET on “Special Report With Bret Baier.”
Comments are closed.
