Netanyahu defies Obama on Israeli settlement freeze

[Karmadillo]

Source: Reuters

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rebuffed U.S. calls to impose a freeze on all settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, setting the stage for friction with President Barack Obama.

"We do not intend to build any new settlements, but it wouldn't be fair to ban construction to meet the needs of natural growth or for there to be an outright construction ban," Netanyahu told his cabinet, according to officials.

The note of defiance came less than a week after Netanyahu held talks in Washington with Obama, who wants Israel to halt all settlement activity, including natural growth, as called for under a long-stalled peace "road map."

Netanyahu's comments reaffirmed a position he took in his bid for the premiership in a February election. By natural growth, Israel refers to construction within the boundaries of existing settlements to accommodate growing families.

more...

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54N12320090524

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Maybe we should start giving Israel money or something. Then we'd have some leverage with them.

[suchadeal]

1. I'm personally shocked to learn this.

I thought for sure that THIS time, they'd keep their word.

[L0oniX]

14. Funny ...I am not shocked at all.

[Occulus]

27. .

:rofl:

[StevieM]

29. I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic. (eom)

[BunkerHill24]

2. follow.......... the money!

all roads lead to Jerusalem!

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tom_paine]

5. Bibi is a Bushie. No better marketers and psycholinguists in the world.

Look at what the Bushies have done to America and Israel both, in 30 short years.

Corporate neo-feudalism. THAT'S what we have, with the thinnest veneer of window-dressing and Plausible Deniability to fool the gullible and pin the rest of us down with self-doubt.

[liberalmuse]

4. It's nice to know our tax dollars are supporting this.

I say cut them loose and let them deal with the enemies they've made on their own.

[L0oniX]

18. Our monetary support of Israel makes us guilty of war crimes against the Palistinians.

It's no wonder we are hated for that. ...but hey ...what's a few more war crimes to us? Big deal ...huh.

:sarcasm:

[cali]

21. uh, no. and it's Palestinians, not Palistinians.

Quite clear in any case, that we're more than capable of committing our own war crimes.

[L0oniX]

25. I see it spelled both ways and I don't care if it's spelled incorrectly anyway.

[Captain Hilts]

6. Fine, we should cut off all the aid to Israel then. nt

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[elleng]

8. Won't be the first time,

but maybe the first time they were honest/straight about it. Some time in the past, they went about their business, and appointed Sharon as 'housing czar' or something. Guess what happened!

[meow2u3]

9. Benny Netan-yahoo is at it again!

Bully Boy Benny can dish it out, but he and the Likudniks can't take it.

[MasonJar]

10. No more money to Israel for any weapons.

[PSPS]

11. No problem. Just zero out their funding in the US budget. It's been done before with good results.

Israel exists today solely because of its funding by the US taxpayer. They're essentially the 51st state. The war criminal Menachem Begin (see "King David Hotel") tried this sort of thing with Carter and Carter all but cut off Israel's tap on the US treasury. Begin came around in short order. Benni will too. Without US taxpayer's money, Israel can't function.

[trungpa ricochet]

13. Good idea, very reasonable and appropriate...

...but as some of us realize (and I know you do too) getting the cowards in Congress to actually do the right thing is a political minefield. Any fair-minded observer of Israeli methods of taking land from Palestinians would call it criminal. The US government is so well manipulated by right-wing Israeli interests that the Netanyahus and all the other dishonest Israeli "patriots" will simply continue to defy even Barack Obama. A two-state solution cannot happen without a contiguous territory existing between Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli government will never redraw boundaries even close to those of 1967. The IDF would have to forcibly dislodge the settlers, and it would be very ugly. Still, that's exactly what needs to happen. Unless Obama and Congress get very, very tough will the Likudniks, there will never be a Palestine.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PSPS]

12. No problem. Just zero out their funding in the US budget. It's been done before with good results.

Israel exists today solely because of its funding by the US taxpayer. They're essentially the 51st state. The war criminal Menachem Begin (see "King David Hotel") tried this sort of thing with Carter and Carter all but cut off Israel's tap on the US treasury. Begin came around in short order. Benni will too. Without US taxpayer's money, Israel can't function.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cali]

20. Do know the difference between influence and control?

Accurate to say that AIPAC has undue influence over Congress. Not accurate to claim that they control it. They clearly do not.

[L0oniX]

23. We'll see.

[L0oniX]

15. Uhm ...you are kidding aren't you? We give 5 billion a year to them.

[cali]

19. Actually, it's about 3 billion a year in combined military/civilian aid

still should be cut back drastically- and we shouldn't be giving them any military aid, but facts count. try and get them right.

[L0oniX]

22. Facts smacks ...picky picky ...the point is still the same. We give them lots of money.

[cali]

24. yeah, it's clear that you don't give a fuck about facts.

[L0oniX]

26. ...and it's clear you have nothing better to do than pick on someone for your own kicks.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Wizard777]

30. Cut a Billion or two from Israels aid.

[Frank Booth]

31. So what now?

Netanyahu played Obama like a fool.

How does he react?