They say that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. Perhaps we should add a third: Israel engaging in settlement building in the west bank of the Jordan. Since shortly after occupying the territory in the 1967 war, Israeli governments of every stripe have sought to build settlements with the goal of transfering population into occupied territory. Something that is illegal under international law. Their rationales may differ--some in pursuit of a "Greater Israel" which many would include the east bank of the Jordan, others for strategic reasons--but the policy remains the same. Labor, Kadima or Likud may be in power, the prime minister's name may be Peres, Sharon, Netanyahu or Olmert, but the policy remains the same. Some of the heaviest construction took place in the 1990s, after the Olso agreement was signed.
Israel has sought territorial expansion since its founding, often under the rationale of security, but expansion nonetheless. Therefore, it should not be surprising that with a right-wing government in power, the settlement expansion is accelerating:
A new outpost, new roads, and other building projects have raced ahead in and around the settlements, often without legal permits, producing the biggest construction drive since 2003, according to Dror Etkes of the Israeli advocacy group Yesh Din. That group monitors construction in the West Bank.
The construction, which has sped up even more since Benjamin Netanyahu's government took office this spring, is to be a main issues in U.S. President Barack Obama's meeting with Netanyahu at mid-month.
Vice President Joe Biden called on Israel on Tuesday to stop building in the settlements and to dismantle existing illegal outposts. However, left-wing groups monitoring events in the territories say the construction has accelerated in recent months, not halted.
. . . .
The Mitchell Report of May 2001 and the Bush administration's road map of 2003 called on Israel to halt all construction in the settlements. This implies stopping construction for natural growth as well. Israel, however, has never stopped this kind of construction.
. . . .
The extensive and often illegal construction west of the fence and in the large settlements has been going on continuously. The authorities have not tried to stop it even in cases of illegal construction, says Etkes.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Israel knows, because of the political stranglehold the Israeli lobby has on congress, that it can get away with this. Only a forceful president can stop them. Presidents have done so in the past, although not lately. Eisenhower in the Suez crisis, Kennedy with respect to Israel's nuclear ambitions, Carter at Camp David I, Bush I in withholding loan guarantees. Barack Obama will need to take an even more forceful stand if Israel's illegal settlement policy is to be stopped. This is a crucial step for him. And it doesn't help the Israel has a government seeking to resurect the long-discredited "autonomy" solution, a solution more of a non-starter than when it was first proposed by the Likud 30 years ago:
Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Aharonoth, reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to inform the US president, Barack Obama, that his government would support the establishment of an autonomous Palestinian Authority, but will not accept a two-state solution.
http://www.imemc.org/...
Obama will need all the strength and courage he can muster to take on, not only Israel, but the Israeli lobby in this country. Again, this is a crucial test of his resolve, and whether he will seek a U.S. mideast policy that operates in the U.S. national interest. We shall see.