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Last update - 11:45 15/02/2009
U.S. expected to pressure Israel on settlement construction
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Barack Obama 

Even though the American administration would prefer an Israeli government that is committed to a two-state solution, the United States does not intend to take a stance on the composition of the next coalition. In view of the expected naming of Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu to form a coalition with the support of right-wing parties, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. envoy George Mitchell will focus during their next visit to Jerusalem on efforts to preserve the West Bank under the control of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

The Americans will demand that Israel avoid creating new facts on the ground that may burden achieving an agreement in the future. Toward this end, the U.S. administration is preparing to put heavy pressure on the new government to freeze all settlement construction and keep its promises to lift roadblocks. A freeze on settlement activity will be a higher priority than removing illegal outposts.

Measures the Obama administration is likely will be to cut the equivalent sum of the latest investments in settlements from the remaining budget for U.S. guaranteed loans, approximately $1.3 billion out of a total of $10 billion that the U.S. made available to Israel for it to absorb immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
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In Jerusalem the view is that in the absence of any progress in the Annapolis process, the partners to the U.S. in the Quartet - the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - will ask for real steps to be taken against Israel in response to the continued construction in the settlements.

Last week the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, protested officially to the Foreign Ministry over activities in Area E1 [the neighborhood to be built between Ma'aleh Adamim and Jerusalem] and plans to expand the settlement of Adam to take in those evacuated from the settlement of Migron.

Senator Mitchell's team will include experts who are familiar with the subject of the settlements and the ways in which Israel has avoided meeting its obligations for years.

In his report to then president George Bush in late April 2001, Mitchell rejected Israel's view that it is possible to expand the existing settlements to meet the needs of a naturally growing population there. The report also warned that the security cooperation that Israel is seeking from the Palestinians is incompatible with the expansion of settlements. The Bush administration did not heed the report and except for discreet protests ignored the ongoing expansion of settlements.

Meanwhile the State Department is evaluating the implication of reports that MK Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beiteinu, was a member of the extreme right group Kach. It appears on a State Department list of terrorist organizations.

If the Obama administration confirms the report that appeared last week in Haaretz, and which was not denied by Lieberman, the Yisrael Beiteinu leader may not be granted a visa to enter the U.S. The close cooperation between Israel and the U.S. on matters of strategy, defense, economics, commerce, tourism and transportation means that ministers charged with relevant portfolios often visit the United States.

A new MK, Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union, confirmed that he had been a member of Kach while it was headed by Meir Kahane and may face similar restrictions.

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      1.   American "pressure" will have of necessity to be very light 03:48  |  A.J. Myers 15/02/09
      2.   About time 03:57  |  Amos 15/02/09
      3.   Settlements 04:07  |  John 15/02/09
      4.   US Aid 04:21  |  Fred Resnick 15/02/09
      5.   Settlement construction 04:44  |  NCDixon 15/02/09
      6.   It is not dc`s business what Israel does with its Inheritance; 04:57  |  glenna 15/02/09
      7.   SETTLEMENTS OR PEACE 05:09  |  AHMAD ALAHMAD 15/02/09
      8.   The U.S and Israel 05:11  |  Ed 15/02/09
      9.   Not much here 05:12  |  Ron 15/02/09
      10.   Israel with a strong Right wing government will stand up to Obama 05:35  |  Karen 15/02/09
      11.   a j meyers 1 05:55  |  potobac 15/02/09
      12.   #10. Karen. With all due respect.. 10:39  |  Stephen. 15/02/09
      13.   This time the pressure will have to be insistent & effective 10:41  |  Esther 15/02/09
      14.   Israel never truly wanted peace 10:46  |  David 15/02/09
      15.   # 10 karen doing the zionist math 11:16  |  Axel 15/02/09
      16.   Good! 11:39  |  Hanna 15/02/09
      17.   Only ONE change needed for PEACE: liquidate Settler Enterprise 12:05  |  Ivar 15/02/09
      18.   pressure Israel to destruction 12:08  |  Cahim Ashlocher 15/02/09
      19.   2 states for 2 peoples plans, 3rd try 12:52  |  Sceptic 15/02/09
      20.   Look who is talking! IVAR the terrible 13:00  |  Sceptic 15/02/09
      21.   THE MOTHER OF ALL DESEASES IN MIDDLE EASR 13:07  |  indrajaya 15/02/09
      22.   Member of Kach? So what? 13:21  |  Sanders 15/02/09
      23.   # 19 sceptic 13:27  |  Axel 15/02/09
      24.   If the United States are going to have 13:46  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/02/09
      25.   The rule of law in Israel? 13:54  |  Manny Goldstein 15/02/09
      26.   ISRAEL ALREADY PAID FOR THE SETTLEMENTS 13:58  |  petra 15/02/09
      27.   To Axel, concerned US tax payer 14:06  |  Sceptic 15/02/09
      28.   Settlement:Arabs in Israel/invented name palestinians 14:23  |  now in EU 15/02/09
      29.   # 27 sceptic 14:26  |  Axel 15/02/09
      30.   All US Aid to Israel Should be Canceled 14:35  |  Joseph Blough 15/02/09
      31.   #30 Joseph Blough 15:01  |  Cool B 15/02/09
      32.   There is a growing sense 17:49  |  Doug 15/02/09
      33.   US to pressure ISRAEL on settlement building 18:08  |  BB 15/02/09
      34.   petra 26 18:08  |  potobac 15/02/09
      35.   arabs said no to peace in 1947,67, and 2000 18:16  |  Lisa 15/02/09
      36.   Arafat and PA made life much worse for arabs in WB 18:17  |  Lisa 15/02/09
      37.   Lisa the misinformed 20:21  |  Palestinian Prince 15/02/09
      38.   James baker under dumbya senior did this 22:07  |  Pronsias 15/02/09
      39.   James baker under dumbya senior did this 22:07  |  Pronsias 15/02/09
      40.   Eldar took the day off....... 22:37  |  tad chase 15/02/09
      41.   US settlement pressure? 22:50  |  Pete 15/02/09
      42.   The best pressure 22:59  |  Janice 15/02/09
      43.   # 10 let them stand up karen; all they want! 22:59  |  eric 15/02/09
      44.   petra`s dreams 00:34  |  Truth 16/02/09
      45.   About Time 01:13  |  Ian Hochman-Reid 16/02/09
      46.   Glenna 01:21  |  American 16/02/09
      47.   Arabs already own 99.9% of land in Middle East 01:29  |  Bennie 16/02/09
      48.   One of three things Obama has to do 01:57  |  Mark B. 16/02/09
      49.   bennie 47 06:01  |  potobac 16/02/09
      50.   to palestinian prince 06:13  |  no quarter 16/02/09
      51.   "Arabs already own 99.9 . . ." 06:15  |  Maria 16/02/09
      52.   Obama is Coming 07:08  |  Bryan 16/02/09
      53.   klepto nation 07:09  |  jake 16/02/09
      54.   #43, eric 09:58  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/02/09
      55.   Please, America, please pressure Israel, and HARD. 11:21  |  Tzfonit 16/02/09
      56.   Eric, something tells me 11:48  |  Tzfonit 16/02/09
      57.   People don`t take America seriously 15:02  |  Basil 16/02/09
      58.   #56 Tzfonit to eric 21:42  |  S 16/02/09
      59.   Palestine and Jordan 03:50  |  Julie Cornell 17/02/09
      60.   # 58 to tzfonit and "S" 04:22  |  eric 17/02/09
      61.   1%??? - You`re having a laugh, yes? 16:56  |  r cunningham 02/03/09
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