It's bad enough that Israel pursues an illegal settlement policy in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. And it's bad enough that the U.S. does nothing to punish them for it, although it has the power to do so. But it just shows you how bad things are when Israel can announce a settlement expansion while the Vice-President of the United States is in the country. So confident is Israel that the U.S. will do nothing of any consequence in response to their illegal settlement policy that they can feel free to humiliate the Vice-President.
And the thing is, they're right. The U.S. will do nothing in response to this exhibition of disrespect, beyond meaningless denunciations. After initial making threats, the Obama Administration has revealed itself to be a paper tiger when it comes to dealing with Israel. It will be no different in this case. It's a pretty sad state of affairs, but it speaks volumes on why the U.S. cannot be an honest broker in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and why resolution of that conflict remains elusive.
Israel's decision to approve 1,600 new homes in an ultra-Orthodox East Jerusalem neighborhood is undermining Middle East peace talks, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, the Interior Ministry approved the building of 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo, with a ministry official saying the plan will expand the ultra-Orthodox East Jerusalem neighborhood to the east and to the south.
http://haaretz.com/...
Why would Israeli officials degrade Israel by humiliating the vice-president of the United States?
What conceivable advantage is there in the Interior Ministry choosing the occasion of a high-profile visit by Joseph R. Biden, Jr., a mission aimed at soothing strained relations between Israel and the Obama administration, to announce the approval of 1,600 new homes for Israelis in East Jerusalem?
Or to add, in insult to injury, that construction on the new homes could begin as soon as early May.
http://www.haaretz.com/...