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Clinton: Israel's demolition of East Jerusalem homes harms peace efforts
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday blasted Israel's plans to demolish Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem as a violation of its international obligations and "unhelpful" to Middle East peace efforts.

"Clearly this kind of activity is unhelpful and not in keeping with the obligations entered into under the 'road map'," Clinton said, referring to the long-stalled peace plan.

"It is an issue that we intend to raise with the government of Israel and the government at the municipal level in Jerusalem," she added at a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Clinton said she planned to take up the issue with the incoming Israeli government, which is expected to take office in the coming weeks.

Israel has in recent days issued orders for the demolition of 80 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem it says were built illegally.

But Palestinians say they cannot receive proper building permits from Israeli authorities, and the planned demolitions are means to assert Israel's control over the disputed city.

Clinton also displayed strong public support for Abbas. "The Palestinian Authority is the only legitimate government of the Palestinian people," she told the news conference.

The Palestinian president has steadily lost support at home, particularly
after a year of inconclusive peace talks with Israel. At the same time, his Islamic militant Hamas rivals, who seized Gaza from him in 2007, are widely seen as emerging stronger from Israel's recent military offensive against them.

Talking to reporters after meeting Clinton, Abbas criticized Iran, one of the main backers of Hamas. He charged that Iran is trying to deepen the Palestinian split and said, "Iran needs to take care of its own issues and stay away from intervening in Palestinian affairs."

Abbas, meanwhile, was expected to ask Clinton to push Israel to freeze West Bank settlements and open Gaza's blockaded borders.

Senior Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian leader was seeking a tougher U.S. stance toward Israel and would raise specific Israeli construction projects in Jerusalem with Clinton.

"The main point is that the Israeli government needs to accept the two-state solution and ... that it stop settlement expansion," Erekat said, hours before the meeting.

Abbas was also expected to tell Clinton that the Palestinian Authority would not agree peace negotiations unless Israel agreed unequivocally to a two-state solution, Saleh Rafat, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee.

Clinton began her first West Bank trip as secretary of state by meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the morning and Abbas in the afternoon. She arrived in Ramallah under heavy security, with Palestinian police with assault rifles lining access roads.

A day after pledging the new Obama administration would always protect Israel's security, Clinton delivered a message of support for
Abbas' Palestinian Authority and repeated that the U.S. was committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

"We are very committed to your efforts in this leadership of President Abbas," Clinton told Fayyad.

She also praised Fayyad's plan for rebuilding Gaza, outlined Monday at an international pledging conference for the territory, damaged heavily in a recent Israeli offensive against Hamas.

"I've told everyone that it was exactly what was required," said Clinton, who attended the conference. Donors raised $5.2 billion for Gaza and Fayyad's government.

During her visit to Ramallah, Clinton met briefly with young Palestinians studying English, and announced a U.S. initiative to help poorer Palestinian students attend four-year Palestinian universities and give grants to other Palestinians to attend U.S. schools.

"For a Palestinian state to be prosperous, accountable to its people and be able to live up to its obligations in the international community, it has to have more people who can do the job in the 21st century," she said.

The Palestinians are watching closely for signs of change in U.S. policy toward their conflict with Israel. Even Palestinian moderates were disappointed with the previous administration's failure to take Israel to task for accelerated construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, meanwhile, said Wednesday that Clinton's remarks throughout her Mideast trip have been totally biased in favor of the "Zionist occupation and do not reflect any change in American foreign policy."

Clinton: 'Economic peace' is futile without diplomacy

Clinton was critical on Tuesday of the "economic peace" plan of Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and said that an economic initiative without a political solution had no chance to succeed.

In her first visit to Middle East since the Obama administration took office, Clinton said during her meetings here that the U.S. would coordinate with Israel its dialogue vis-a-vis Iran and would work toward a "regional security umbrella."

During a meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak the Secretary of State said that Israel must do more to open the border crossings into the Gaza Strip to larger amounts of humanitarian assistance so that civilians there could get some relief. She also appealed for a broadening of the list of items that it considers "humanitarian aid," and called the humanitarian situation there problematic.

Last week Haaretz reported that messages had been relayed from senior U.S. officials signaling the Secretary of State was angered by the delays in the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the apparent obstacles that defense officials here raised over the types of goods that they considered essential to minimize civilian suffering.

The secretary of state told Barak that it is important to be sensitive to the needs of the Palestinian civilians.

During her meeting with Netanyahu, Clinton said that it is important for Israel to consider whether the closing of the crossings may be more harmful than it is useful.

Barak told Clinton that since the completion of Operation Lead Cast, 127,000 tons of food, medicine and equipment was delivered through the crossings. He also said that more than 12 million liters of fuel was delivered to power the electric plant in the Gaza Strip.

In addition to her meeting with Barak, Clinton also met with President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Benjamin Netanyahu and outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Iranian focus

In her meetings the secretary of state focused on Iran and its nuclear program, and the Palestinians.

Clinton stressed before her interlocutors that the Obama administration is committed to a solution of two states for two peoples, which she described as "inevitable."

"We happen to believe that moving toward a two-state solution is in Israel's best interests," Clinton said. "It is our assessment that eventually, the inevitability of working toward a two-state solution is inescapable."

Although Clinton said the U.S. respects other views, the Obama administration believes that there should be no time wasted on the Palestinian question and a Palestinian statehood, describing the creation of a Palestinian state as "also an interest of Israel."

Acknowledging that "a new and creative approach is necessary," Clinton said that the solutions already discussed in the past will not solve the problems.

For his part, Netanyahu told the visiting Secretary of State that he intends to further the diplomatic process with the Palestinians.

The top U.S. diplomat told her Israeli interlocutors that Israel must meet its commitments to the road map, which mainly involve the freezing of settlement construction. Clinton said that the new administration in Washington will continue supporting Israel and its democratically elected government, but it will not hesitate to express its views.

Clinton said that friends sometimes have differences of opinion and promised to express American opinion with clarity and sincerity.

Prime Minister designate Netanyahu said that, "we have found much common language and we agreed to work in cooperation and coordination in order to advance peace and security in the region."

During her meetings Clinton discussed U.S. strategy toward Iran and stressed that Iran was also central during her meetings with Arab leaders at the international donors meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh Monday.

'Security umbrella'

Clinton said that the U.S. would like to form a regional security umbrella against Iran's nuclear threat.

She also said that the U.S. would consult and coordinate its activities with Israel regarding a future dialogue with Iran and emphasized that dialogue does not mean accepting a nuclear Iran.

Clinton stressed that there should be no confusion between American willingness to speak with Iran and their commitment to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear arms.

The secretary of state also said the U.S. intends to seek further sanctions against Iran, in parallel with dialogue, especially in an effort to limit the range of missiles in Iran's arsenal.

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    Clinton - Like Her Phony Husband, No Real Friend
      1.   Mrs. Clinton..there are 2 groups involved here 03:47  |  Arnold 04/03/09
      2.   Is Pasta still forbidden to Palestinian kids? 03:48  |  Jad 04/03/09
      3.   BiBi is trying to sell snow to the Askimos! 03:49  |  Jackle 04/03/09
      4.   No matter if the crossings are open or closed, 03:57  |  Sceptic 04/03/09
      5.   Good for Clinton 04:05  |  David 04/03/09
      6.   LOUD AND CLEAR 04:12  |  Ed 04/03/09
      7.   Sure in 100 Years or so 04:43  |  Baruch Gold 04/03/09
      8.   Diplomacy, useless without strict realization of UNSC 242 !!!!!!! 05:19  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 04/03/09
      9.   Stop Begging, Hillary 05:32  |  Mark of Lewiston 04/03/09
      10.   Look at the way tipsi the PIECE giver of Israel looks at clinton; 06:12  |  glenna 04/03/09
      11.   Hillary Needs To Get Her Order Of Events Straight 06:12  |  Jeff Northridge 04/03/09
      12.   The True Shepherd 06:12  |  Shimon Cleopas 04/03/09
      13.   Translation: Time for Israel to grow up.... 06:18  |  Iranian-American 04/03/09
      14.   Clinton - Like Her Phony Husband, No Real Friend 06:26  |  Tod Zuckerman 06:26  |  Tod Zuckerman 04/03/09
      15.   Settlements in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the whole of Jerusalem... 07:29  |  Jean Van Daem 04/03/09
      16.   Thank You #3 Shimon 08:37  |  John 04/03/09
      17.   #2 Jeff wrong in the 1st line, as usual 08:44  |  Johnboy 04/03/09
      18.   Gaza a hostile enemy. Permanently close the borders. 08:47  |  Bennie 04/03/09
      19.   Good to hear these home truths.... 08:57  |  Esther 04/03/09
      20.   Hillary is only telling the obvious. HIGH TIME! 08:58  |  S 04/03/09
      21.   Kol Hakavod Hillary 09:07  |  Leon Blaustein 04/03/09
      22.   #6 Errrr, you need to think a bit harder, Jean Van Daem 09:16  |  Johnboy 04/03/09
      23.   how to make miracles 09:17  |  Cipora Julianna Koh 04/03/09
      24.   Clinton "tells Israel what to do" 09:17  |  DT 04/03/09
      25.   For Jeff Northridge # 2 10:14  |  Clickfool 04/03/09
      26.   Great, hey, these Jazz cigarettes, Cipora? 10:23  |  Clickfool 04/03/09
      27.   Who Will Be Pushing Abbas? 10:26  |  Baruch Gold 04/03/09
      28.   Just as it was Bibis destiny to give up Hebron... 11:47  |  Natallie Durson 04/03/09
      29.   #5.YES.Obama cannot force a Pal. State w Hamas in power:A. Sharon 11:49  |  EL 04/03/09
      30.   Clinton "Red Line". Netanyahu and Barak Also Stated "Red Lines". 11:54  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 04/03/09
      31.   Netanyahu does not accept Quartet conditions 12:03  |  Roo 04/03/09
      32.   Dubbling the settlements? 12:14  |  Nils Levin 04/03/09
      33.   Isaiah 58 continued 12:17  |  Iacov Jacob James 04/03/09
      34.   THE ANSWER: NUCLEAR DETERRENCE 12:41  |  indrajaya 04/03/09
      35.   YES DAMN IT 12:55  |  Northern 04/03/09
      36.   Is a Cuban U.S. state good for America? 13:18  |  Give me a break 04/03/09
      37.   Cuban U.S. state? 14:31  |  Davids 04/03/09
      38.   It is Israel`s Land 14:33  |  Brod 04/03/09
      39.   Baruch Gold, it is too late for a Pal. State 14:40  |  AMERICAN 04/03/09
      40.   The US won`t solve the problem 15:05  |  Mandelarab 04/03/09
      41.   Clinton blasts Israel for razing East Jerusalem homes 15:06  |  Natallie Durson 04/03/09
      42.   Sorry, Israel, but even ethnic cleansing "light" is no longer.. 15:12  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/03/09
      43.   Reply to Tod Zuckerman (Post No. 6) 15:17  |  Johnny Weintraub 04/03/09
      44.   Palestinian homes in Arab villages 15:19  |  Robert Haymond 04/03/09
      45.   Johnboy - orphan territory may be colonized by anybody 15:20  |  17 04/03/09
      46.   Israeli politicians 15:22  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/03/09
      47.   Mrs. Clinton..there are 2 groups involved here 15:29  |  Arnold 04/03/09
      48.   A response to Clickfool 15:41  |  Elliott 04/03/09
      49.   Johnboy and his missing links 15:50  |  Peter Williams 04/03/09
      50.   hamas is the one who refuses... 15:56  |  Igor D. 04/03/09
      51.   I have a question 15:59  |  Lucy Somera 04/03/09
      52.   Crazy, its still going on? 16:01  |  Canuck 04/03/09
      53.   #1 Mark 16:07  |  John Allen 04/03/09
      54.   australia 16:12  |  khalfa 04/03/09
      55.   Israel has no "Roadmap obligations" while rockets come from Gaza 16:12  |  Dr. L. Brnd 04/03/09
      56.   New sheriff in town 16:26  |  Dave Duncan 04/03/09
      57.   33 John Allen 16:33  |  Mark of Lewiston 04/03/09
      58.   US should withhold MONEY and SUPPORT on the IRAN issues 16:57  |  US MAN 04/03/09
      59.   Only Israel expected to comply 17:03  |  x-ray 04/03/09
      60.   To Arnold : 17:06  |  Ibou 04/03/09
      61.   Israel is an enemy state 17:10  |  Mo 04/03/09
      62.   What the US should do : 17:10  |  Sol 04/03/09
      63.   #40 -- Palestinian Homes 17:14  |  Mo 04/03/09
      64.   Action, not words 17:25  |  Giora Meir 04/03/09
      65.   Johnboy # 9 Wrong Am I? 17:34  |  Jeff Northridge 04/03/09
      66.   49 John Allen: Oil? 18:20  |  Davids 04/03/09
      67.   Johnboy # 9 Wrong Am I? (part 2) 18:21  |  Jeff Northridge 04/03/09
      68.   Clinton has no clue ... 18:22  |  JayBee 04/03/09
      69.   Reply to Dr. Brnd in San Diego (Post No. 55) 18:37  |  Johnny Weintraub 04/03/09
      70.   Oh... is it Israeli land? Maybe its Egyptian land 18:46  |  Joe 04/03/09
      71.   "Liars Poker" 18:47  |  Adam 04/03/09
      72.   Natallie #28... but his dad would have an apoplexy... 18:54  |  Esther 04/03/09
      73.   clinton 18:54  |  gavriel 04/03/09
      74.   Ya, S #28... but the essence is in the timing... 18:56  |  Esther 04/03/09
      75.   please wake up! 19:01  |  rigma 04/03/09
      76.   #42 Swiss (Dino) 19:09  |  *BEN JABO 04/03/09
      77.   #65 Jeff Northridge 19:14  |  Chris Linthwaite 04/03/09
      78.   Clinton`s still haven`t made public 19:17  |  *BEN JABO 04/03/09
      79.   Is Hillary so naive to believe she is on the right path? 19:18  |  Ibrahim 04/03/09
      80.   PA only legitimate authority in East Jerusalem 19:21  |  John 04/03/09
      81.   Hypocrites 19:27  |  Proud Lebanese 04/03/09
      82.   giora meir - i would add: 19:56  |  scallywag 04/03/09
      83.   Ibou #60-Mr. Abbas is not tough enough 19:57  |  Arnold 04/03/09
      84.   The beginning of the end of the "special" USA/Israel relationship 20:00  |  Cindy 04/03/09
      85.   Not enough Jews in US Congress to stop aid to Gaza 20:03  |  Janet 04/03/09
      86.   Even in America Are Structures Destroyed If Built Without Permits 20:13  |  Laguna Geno 04/03/09
      87.   Israel`s Rights 20:14  |  Davids 04/03/09
      88.   Clinton and Obama are unhelpful 20:20  |  vik 04/03/09
      89.   Standards 20:23  |  Sar Chasm 04/03/09
      90.   Diplomacy with who ?? Hamas !! 20:26  |  Sarah 04/03/09
      91.   Hillary Clinton Syndrome 20:29  |  Mark Lincoln 04/03/09
      92.   How to stop an illegal occupier..... 20:35  |  Dutch 04/03/09
      93.   How Is Now Any Different? 20:50  |  Yaakov Sullivan 04/03/09
      94.   Sar Chasm #80 21:05  |  Gee 04/03/09
      95.   well throw down the gauntlet 21:10  |  tad chase 04/03/09
      96.   Re #79 21:19  |  David Zukerman 04/03/09
      97.   Action needed to stop the house demolitions in Silwan 21:22  |  Ben Alofs 04/03/09
      98.   Our "expressed view" is "unhelpful" 21:24  |  David 04/03/09
      99.   scallywag I would add --either the aid is allowed in or 21:26  |  Labhras 04/03/09
      100.   Demolitions harm peace efforts? 21:29  |  Jay Chamblin 04/03/09
      101.   Israel wants War, War, War! 21:45  |  Kai Kugler 04/03/09
      102.   Clinton and the USA versus Israel 22:15  |  Roberto 04/03/09
      103.   PEACE KILLS PALESTINAINS 22:25  |  Johan 04/03/09
      104.   Changing Headlines Does Not Constitute A Headline 22:26  |  Baruch Gold 04/03/09
      105.   Outrage and cheers? 22:35  |  Hypocrisy? 04/03/09
      106.   Dutch read Genesis10-13&14"Philistins came out of Egypt 22:40  |  sam 04/03/09
      107.   75Hey cindy, while we are busy dealing with Russians, wish you 22:45  |  jboy from down under 04/03/09
      108.   US Constitutions forbids mixing in Biblical Israel+Monroe Doct, 22:47  |  sam 04/03/09
      109.   Dear Mo (#63) re "Palestinian suffering): I don`t suppose you`ve 23:09  |  Robert Haymond 04/03/09
      110.   Is someone going to kill you with a piece of macaroni? 23:11  |  heinz 04/03/09
      111.   # 76 BEN JABO, the answer is of course none, BUT.... 00:38  |  Swiss (Dino) 05/03/09
      112.   109 00:42  |  Anthony 05/03/09
      113.   Sam 106 00:44  |  Anthony 05/03/09
      114.   Mahmoud Abbas` Term Expired Jan. 10 00:45  |  Binyamin 05/03/09
      115.   Palestinians already have state - 01:43  |  Jen 05/03/09
      116.   Just get it straight, Anthony from Calgary (#112), 01:47  |  Robert Haymond 05/03/09
      117.   The "Freeze" Was George Mitchell`s Idea And He`s Back 01:54  |  Jeff Northridge 05/03/09
      118.   62 Sol - Unnecessarily Provocative 02:04  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/03/09
      119.   "Not Helpful" Is The First Step Leading To "...Or Else" 02:05  |  viewfromafar 05/03/09
      120.   #65 You do understand what you have just said, Jeff? 02:58  |  Johnboy 05/03/09
      121.   #67 I`ll repeat, Jeff Northridge, in the hope that you understand 03:27  |  Johnboy 05/03/09
      122.   #49 Examine how Hamas have behaved, Peter WIlliams 03:47  |  Johnboy 05/03/09
      123.   Will There Be a Freeze in Terror ? I Don`t Think So 04:07  |  Tod Zuckerman 05/03/09
      124.   what peace!? 04:12  |  getreal 05/03/09
      125.   #49 Another answer, Peter Williams 04:17  |  Johnboy 05/03/09
      126.   Mark of Lewiston 05:22  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/03/09
      127.   Cipora - I Doubt Egypt Would Object 06:00  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/03/09
      128.   "UNHELPFULL" Hillary is really putting her 06:43  |  jim the mechanic 05/03/09
      129.   #126, Mark of Lewiston 07:17  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/03/09
      130.   cease fire, for johnboy 07:23  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/03/09
      131.   Palestine not Israel 08:43  |  Janet 05/03/09
      132.   Good reasoning Johnboy 13:01  |  Roo 05/03/09
      133.   # 11 jeff 13:56  |  Axel 05/03/09
      134.   #78, Ben Jabo...2ND TRY 17:45  |  Silvienne 05/03/09
      135.   Permission from Clinton! 18:27  |  You guessed it 07/03/09
      136.   It is Israel`s Land 22:53  |  Brod 07/03/09
      137.   Hell freezes over 07:04  |  John 08/03/09
      138.   Hey, Israel got new PM - Hillary! 03:19  |  potz 24/03/09
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