Hillary Clinton Berates Israel Over Settlements

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday he must work to repair relations with Washington after a debacle over Jewish settlements that has undermined US efforts to mediate new peace talks with the Palestinians.
Clinton’s blunt language betrayed US frustration after a visit by Vice President Joe Biden was overshadowed by Israel’s approval of new Jewish building on occupied land. She reminded Netanyahu of the commitments the United States makes to protect Israel from hostile neighbors, her spokesman said. On a day when Israeli forces sealed off the West Bank and deployed riot squads around Jerusalem’s holy sites to contain Palestinian anger during weekly Muslim prayers, Clinton called the latest settlement approval a “deeply negative signal about Israel’s approach to the bilateral relationship and had undermined trust and confidence in the peace process.”