Israel defies U.S. demands

Israel’s Defense Ministry said on Monday it had approved construction of 50 new homes at a West Bank settlement as part of a plan for 1,450 housing units, an expansion that defies a U.S. call for a settlement freeze.
News of the planned building work emerged hours before Defence Minister Ehud Barak left for the United States for talks aimed at narrowing a rift with Washington over settlements.
He will meet President Barack Obama’s Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, in New York on Tuesday, Barak’s office said.

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Peace Now said some 2,500 settlement homes are currently under construction in the West Bank.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his refusal to resume negotiations with Israel until it froze settlement.
"We won’t accept the continuation of settlements," he said.
Abbas also urged Netanyahu to drop his conditions for the creation of a Palestinian state, which include international guarantees it would have no army and a demand the Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
"Israel should accept the two-state vision and not put conditions that would render the issue meaningless," Abbas said, echoing comments he made through a spokesman after a Netanyahu policy address on June 14.
To further complicate matters, Abbas' Fatah group accused rival Hamas of arresting dozens of Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip.

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Barak left open the possibility of a limited, temporary halt to construction in settlements in comments he made on Sunday in response to an Israeli newspaper report that he would propose a three-month moratorium.
Barak has also spoken of couching a Palestinian deal within a wider Israeli-Arab peace accord.
A goal of the Israeli-U.S. negotiations is "advancing a process for a comprehensive regional settlement in the Middle East," Barak’s office quoted him as saying in a statement.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/06/29/2009-06-29_israel_approves_b...&C

cut their funding for one year everytime they do something like this.

if they're going to act like spoiled children i suppose the only reasonable solution is to treat them like spoiled children

We need to cut their funding regardless, we need that aid here in America more then they do, ps it is our taxdollars isnt it! Barack is laying the smack down on that Netanyahoo, we will see.

Stop funding and spend it on America and its people, supporting Israhell is supporting terrorism.

It's nice for the Israelis to build homes for the
Palestinians.

Boycott Israel and Israeli products.

Shocker! Did anyone see the Syrian Ambassador on CNN the other day?He owned Wolf Blitzer with a comparison to our out spoken anger at Iran's violence but our silence on Israel's. Wolf didn't have a clue what to say so he just kept repeating his same question. Classic Am-arrogance.

The Israeli's are Washingtons chosen people. Havent you been listening all of these years. We are their godfather. Bah

These will be the same people who have a bumper sticker that says "Don't blame me ,I didn't vote for Obama". Israel is our ONLY real allie and the day we turn our backs on them we are on our own. That piece of desert was a weed filled unproductive nothing that the arabs did nothing with. Until it became the State of Israel and now that it is the vital productive place they have made it , all of a sudden it is "Holy" and they want it back. Israel is the only nation willing to see the Arab nations for what they are and I say GO ISRAEL!!! Stand your ground and don't give one more inch away and Do whatever it takes to protect yourselves. This President is NOT your friend,