After quite cold vibes regarding diplomatic viewpoint between the U.S. and Israel, Israel came forward first to clear the disputes. The two countries had disagreements over the Jewish Settlement near the East Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Barack Obama on Wednesday calling the president an anti-Semite. The speechifying highlighted a week-long spit Israel touched off with the Obama administration when it pronounced during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden about its plans to build 1,600 more homes for Jews near East Jerusalem that angered Palestinians.
During what is seen as one of the tensest periods in U.S.-Israeli ties, Netanyahu had to reserve himself from commentary by his brother-in-law, an ultranationalist, who called the Obama an anti-Semite in a radio interview. “I have a deep admiration for President Obama’s obligation to Israel’s security, which he has expressed many times,” Netanyahu said in a proclamation during the interview. He also renounced himself from all remarks made by Hagai Ben-Artzi, his wife’s brother.
Despite the reprimand, Ben-Artzi reiterated the abuse in an dialogue with Israel’s Channel 2 television, telling a reporter who inquired if he truly considered the U.S. leader was an anti-Semite: “I have thought this for a long time.”
“I had no distrust someone who could sit 20 years with an anti-Semitic minister, who sermonizes the devastation of Israel, had engrossed something,” Ben-Artzi said of Reverend Jeremiah Wright once a mentor of Obama’s, who Obama has since denounced.
“I had expected an outburst (from Obama) and here it was,” Ben-Artzi said of Washington’s objections to the buildings of home. This land Israel captured during 1967 and since then annexed and now plans for more housing territory. Obama administration denounced the plan anticipating it more hatred between the two nations and more terror coming on the way.
While Israel considers all of Jerusalem, including the eastern sector captured 43 years ago, as its capital, the Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their state they hope to set up in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called Israel’s agreement on settlement an insult and hard-pressed it to receive steps to show it was solemn about new peace moves. Clinton took a less challenging tone on Tuesday, telling journalists Washington has “a complete pledge to Israel’s security” and spoke of “a secure unshakeable bond.”
Meanwhile the State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that they were still looking forward for some response from the Prime Minister of Israel and they had not received any. Toner whispered the United States had not set a cut-off date for an Israeli reply, but it is likely Clinton would receive it soon.
Israeli media reports said Clinton wanted Israel to abandon the housing plan and be in agreement to discuss core statehood concerns with the Palestinians once meandering peace talks began. Netanyahu has said he would not restrain building for Jews anyplace in Jerusalem.
