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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
 AP
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Last update - 16:28 04/11/2009
Clinton: Settlements are illegitimate, should be halted forever
By The Associated Press
Tags: Israeli settlements 

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton defended the U.S stance toward Israeli settlement building to worried Arab allies on Wednesday, saying Washington does not accept the legitimacy of the West Bank enclaves and wants to see their construction halted "forever."

Still, she said an Israeli offer to restrain - but not halt - construction represents "positive movement forward" toward resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Clinton met for an hour with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a hastily arranged stopover in the Egyptian capital to soothe Arab concerns that Washington is backing off demands for an Israeli settlement halt.
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The fears were sparked on Saturday when Clinton, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at her side in Jerusalem, praised his government's offer as unprecedented.

She has since tried to clarify the remarks, saying that the Israeli offer does not got far enough. Still, she has indicated that the Palestinians should resume negotiations with Israel without a full settlement halt as they demand.

On Wednesday, Clinton insisted "our policy on settlement has not changed."

"We do not accept the legitimacy of settlement activity. Ending all settlement activity current and future would be preferable," she told reporters after talks with Mubarak.

Of the Israeli offer, she said, "It is not what we would prefer because we would like to see everything ended forever."

"But it is something that I think shows at least a positive movement forward toward final status issues being addressed," she said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is sticking to his refusal to resume negotiations until Israel stops building settlements. He rejected the Israeli plan to complete 3,000 housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and to continue to construct public buildings and other construction in east Jerusalem - a territory Palestinians hope will be their future capital.

After Arab criticism of her comments in Jerusalem on the Israeli plan, Clinton delayed her return to Washington after attending an international conference in Marrakech, Morocco, and flew instead to Cairo.

Appearing at Clinton's press conference on Wednesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the Mubarak-Clinton talks were "very fruitful and will have clear benefits and results in the future."

"The talks were frank and clear that showed a U.S.-Egyptian common understanding on several issues," he said.

In a new twist Tuesday, Clinton made what appeared to be an inadvertent slip of the tongue in a television interview with the al-Jazeera network, referring to the goal of "an Israeli capital in east Jerusalem."

It has not been U.S. policy to favor including east Jerusalem in an Israeli capital; the Palestinians claim it as their capital, and the issue is one of the most important and delicate points that would have to be settled in any final peace deal between the two parties.

In the al-Jazeera interview, Clinton reiterated that Obama has clearly stated his desire for a halt to settlements. But she added that the Israeli offer of "restraint," to include an end to establishment of new settlements and other measures that limit settlement growth, might be close enough to the ultimate U.S. and Palestinian goal to merit embracing in the near future.

"It is nowhere near enough, but I think when you keep your eye on what we want to achieve, it is a better place to be than the alternative, which is unrestrained (growth)," she said
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  1.   So giving in to Israel is the best way again, Hilary? 12:25  |  Michael 04/11/09
  2.   just words again 12:43  |  rm 04/11/09
  3.   words make you laugh 13:19  |  A 04/11/09
  4.   Very well. Don`t accept it. Just let it be. 13:21  |  Vitaly 04/11/09
  5.   Hillary the Phony 13:21  |  Gianni 04/11/09
  6.   So why the he** didn`t she say that to unprecedental Bibi?? 13:23  |  Esther 04/11/09
  7.   Time for an imposed solution 13:26  |  Keith T. 04/11/09
  8.   Makes one ponder the personal charm of Mubarak... 13:31  |  Esther 04/11/09
  9.   #3 Plunderer and Robbery 13:46  |  Gianni 04/11/09
  10.   Better Get Used To Us, Hillary 13:56  |  Yishai Kohen 04/11/09
  11.   #7 13:57  |  Harold 04/11/09
  12.   The Seeds of Their Own Destruction? 13:59  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  13.   Gianni at #9 14:04  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  14.   Reply to Gianni (Post No. 5) 14:13  |  Johnny Weintraub 04/11/09
  15.   time for secretary of state who can read !!! 14:20  |  vhardman 04/11/09
  16.   Pals can`t accept Jewish Israel.They make it easy to settle 14:25  |  Sam 04/11/09
  17.   Esther get your hands up your troussers 14:29  |  Hanuman 04/11/09
  18.   Stephen Connor who supported Sovjet Union 14:35  |  Absolute Sweden 04/11/09
  19.   Double speak and double think has made words useless! 14:37  |  jim the mechanic 04/11/09
  20.   Keith and Harold- incredible naivete 14:56  |  a voice 04/11/09
  21.   What A Waste 15:01  |  MB 04/11/09
  22.   Israel... 15:10  |  Yosemite 04/11/09
  23.   yishai kohen 10 15:14  |  potobac 04/11/09
  24.   vhardman 15 15:18  |  potobac 04/11/09
  25.   What does Hilary think--Israel is Serbia and . . . 15:18  |  Zev Davis 04/11/09
  26.   So Enclaves are illegal! 15:18  |  Avi Yerushalmi 04/11/09
  27.   Arabs attacked in 1967 (Gianni) myths 15:22  |  Basil 04/11/09
  28.   Clinton and Settlements 15:24  |  Nili 04/11/09
  29.   To # 9 15:30  |  ben 04/11/09
  30.   #13 15:30  |  m 04/11/09
  31.   Full of Loopholes and She Must Know That 15:31  |  Yaakov Sullivan 04/11/09
  32.   Israeli Settlements 15:35  |  Sher Mohammad 04/11/09
  33.   The Arabs and Clintons 15:37  |  Brod 04/11/09
  34.   Does she go flip-flop 15:39  |  Mark Lincoln 04/11/09
  35.   Hillary redeemed - a return to sanity and reason 15:40  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  36.   ISRAEL`S LEGIMATESY 15:41  |  WILLIAM J CLEMONS 04/11/09
  37.   Clinton 15:41  |  ottomatik 04/11/09
  38.   well done Israel! 15:44  |  sohaib 04/11/09
  39.   #9, Gianni - Plunder & Robbery started after Zionist victory in 1 15:49  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  40.   #15 V hardman - no such legislation 15:56  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  41.   Clinton just made the US an irrelevant party in the ME conflict 15:58  |  Ernst 04/11/09
  42.   #7 yes, but! 15:59  |  tbart 04/11/09
  43.   Important question: 16:05  |  Apa 04/11/09
  44.   Clinton is adding to the confussion 16:07  |  Confused 04/11/09
  45.   To Ben and Stephen 16:16  |  JR 04/11/09
  46.   Michael - UK 16:23  |  Bob 04/11/09
  47.   Don Boston to vhardman #40 16:23  |  Yaakov Sullivan 04/11/09
  48.   Potobac: Maybe It`s Illegal For Jews To Live In Your Neighborhood 16:27  |  Yishai Kohen 04/11/09
  49.   Just words? #2 16:27  |  Stephen 04/11/09
  50.   to Don Boston.. when you have been... 16:27  |  ben 04/11/09
  51.   #3 16:30  |  Donaldo 04/11/09
  52.   #35 - senses? 16:37  |  Bob 04/11/09
  53.   #35 - senses? 16:37  |  Bob 04/11/09
  54.   Bob 46. You`re wrong. 16:39  |  Michael 04/11/09
  55.   cLINTON OBAMA CANT GET BIG FOOT OUT OF MOUTH 16:40  |  bernard ross 04/11/09
  56.   #21 - Waste? 16:41  |  Roberto 04/11/09
  57.   So they are going to get it after all 16:44  |  Paul 04/11/09
  58.   #27 16:44  |  Thomas 04/11/09
  59.   Sohaib 16:47  |  Geoffrey 04/11/09
  60.   #32 - Sher Mohammed 16:53  |  RIck 04/11/09
  61.   Two steps forward. one step back 16:53  |  Jim 04/11/09
  62.   Clinton meeting with Arab leaders 16:54  |  Brod 04/11/09
  63.   #39 16:56  |  freddie 04/11/09
  64.   To ben 29 Arabs are like the brother... 16:59  |  ben 04/11/09
  65.   Demographics 17:00  |  Dave Duncan 04/11/09
  66.   Many Posters Don`t See that this a Marathon 17:00  |  Stephen 04/11/09
  67.   Abbas/Clinton are hanging themselves by refusing negotiations 17:13  |  r 04/11/09
  68.   Israel will react to pain..... 17:16  |  Natallie Durson 04/11/09
  69.   Jerusalem is Israel we do not have to ask permissions 17:17  |  Dani 04/11/09
  70.   #47 Yaakov - thanks for clarification 17:23  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  71.   not halted, removed. 17:26  |  John 04/11/09
  72.   Obama`s promisses are evaporating 17:29  |  Jack 04/11/09
  73.   Clinton, just ridiculous 17:31  |  Ralph is back 04/11/09
  74.   The illegal settlements must go 17:32  |  Sam 04/11/09
  75.   Absolute Sweden 17:35  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  76.   27#brasil 67 war 17:38  |  dave 04/11/09
  77.   Avi Yerushalmi -- "Enclaves" 17:39  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  78.   #46, Bob; Please reconsider your ill-advised comments 17:39  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  79.   #46, Bob; very inventive re Gaza 17:47  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  80.   US money aid 17:49  |  dave 04/11/09
  81.   Arab presence in Judea and Samaria is illegitimate, Hillary 17:51  |  Hazak 04/11/09
  82.   Don Boston, as a lawyer, please cite paragraphs of # 242 17:52  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 04/11/09
  83.   Mr. Hardman and the US legal status of Israeli settlement 17:54  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  84.   They always need to remember USA is the bigger sttlements 17:58  |  Dani 04/11/09
  85.   Well, Yishai #10... 18:06  |  Esther 04/11/09
  86.   Solution: UN to declare Pal land a state. Like they did Israel 18:09  |  Ed 04/11/09
  87.   JR and the "initiation of hostilities" doctrine 18:13  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  88.   Nothing illegal about Jews in Judea and Samaria 18:17  |  David 04/11/09
  89.   ben in Toronto - I need clarification 18:18  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  90.   Time to impose a settlement on the Arabs 18:20  |  David 04/11/09
  91.   I don`t see Israel coming over to my town ... 18:21  |  Jasper 04/11/09
  92.   yishai kohen 48 18:26  |  potobac 04/11/09
  93.   #77 18:28  |  Avi Yerushalmi 04/11/09
  94.   Something childish about Yishai Kohen`s approach... 18:33  |  Esther 04/11/09
  95.   v hardman 18:39  |  stella westwell 04/11/09
  96.   forever 18:43  |  Shmuelshachor 04/11/09
  97.   Ben in Toronto #50 18:43  |  stella westwell 04/11/09
  98.   Jewish homes are not obstacles and have nothing to do with peace 18:55  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 04/11/09
  99.   Ignore the Enemies of Israel 18:57  |  Baruch Gold 04/11/09
  100.   Clinton -Please be more direct 19:08  |  JD 04/11/09
  101.   Darth Zaider on Res. 242 and its language #82 19:20  |  Yaakov Sullivan 04/11/09
  102.   Esther: YOU Are The One With Difficulty Accepting Reality 19:29  |  Yishai Kohen 04/11/09
  103.   #82, Darth Zaider - Res 242 explained; Jordan irrelevant 19:35  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  104.   #83 stephen and the anglo-american convention of 1924 19:36  |  vhardman 04/11/09
  105.   Speaking with two tongues 19:44  |  Marie Mirabeau 04/11/09
  106.   # 30 m re # 13 19:45  |  Traude 04/11/09
  107.   #82 Darth; addendum to # 103 20:15  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  108.   Don Boston on # 242, a good one sided argument 20:28  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 04/11/09
  109.   #90 David, You cant dictate to arabs; israel is the problem 20:30  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  110.   Yakoov, you are a real beauty 20:37  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 04/11/09
  111.   #102, Y Kohen - its Zionists that deny reality per other states 20:38  |  Don Boston 04/11/09
  112.   forever again 20:43  |  Shmuelshachor 04/11/09
  113.   Natallie is right. 20:50  |  Tony Silver 04/11/09
  114.   # 108 Darth Zaider (Ed) 20:54  |  Traude 04/11/09
  115.   a streetcar named desire. to stella! 20:54  |  ben 04/11/09
  116.   Don Boston, wrong about 242 right off the bat 21:23  |  SDHD 04/11/09
  117.   Dani and Native Americans vs. Settlers 21:52  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  118.   Potobac,Yaakov Sullivan & Don Boston re vhardman 22:02  |  ANY 04/11/09
  119.   Chaim Ben Kahan and his magical tea leaves 22:04  |  Stephen Conor 04/11/09
  120.   Baruch Gold -- What Enemies? 22:08  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  121.   JD on directness to Clinton 22:17  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  122.   Inquiring minds want to know... 22:20  |  Bazmann 04/11/09
  123.   v hardman and The Mandate for Palestine 22:27  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  124.   Marie Mirabeau 22:29  |  Stephen Connor 04/11/09
  125.   Gullible Stephen Connor 22:38  |  SDHD 04/11/09
  126.   Clinton under fire for backpedaling on backpedaling 23:20  |  Kris Lazar 04/11/09
  127.   Hillary floudering all over the place 23:27  |  David 04/11/09
  128.   #26 Avi Yerushalmi 00:03  |  BDS 05/11/09
  129.   Bravo Clinton! The only way to quench sin is to extinguish hope! 00:23  |  Ivar 05/11/09
  130.   #9 That`s Hasbarah History for you, Gianni 00:45  |  Johnboy 05/11/09
  131.   #82 Allow me, Darthie 01:00  |  Johnboy 05/11/09
  132.   #108 I`ll try again, Darthie 01:13  |  Johnboy 05/11/09
  133.   Don Boston 01:26  |  Gianni 05/11/09
  134.   #45 Ahem, JR 01:31  |  Johnboy 05/11/09
  135.   Stephen, A blockade is an Act of War, by Intl Law 01:49  |  Rob 05/11/09
  136.   Stephen and The Mandate 01:59  |  Rob 05/11/09
  137.   Dear Stephen Connor, you better read first the link you provide 02:09  |  Rob 05/11/09
  138.   If the United States will not enforce international law 02:30  |  Mark Lincoln 05/11/09
  139.   DEMILITARIZED PALESTINE?? 03:24  |  Steve of Mevaserret 05/11/09
  140.   clinton 04:13  |  yanki 05/11/09
  141.   Hillary is frustrated 04:13  |  *BEN JABO 05/11/09
  142.   Ben in Toronto 04:15  |  jim the mechanic 05/11/09
  143.   Explaining the english language to a zionist 07:44  |  Johnboy 05/11/09
  144.   #108 3rd try to point this out to Darth Zader 10:19  |  Johnboy 05/11/09
  145.   Hillary Clinton 11:15  |  gorm 05/11/09
  146.   We Are Here On Our Land 17:18  |  Shmuel 05/11/09
  147.   # 138 Mark Lincoln 19:18  |  David 05/11/09
  148.   Johnboy, argument of IDF occupation & transfer does not hold wate 19:34  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 05/11/09
  149.   #148 Hahahahahahah! Thanks Darthie 23:26  |  Johnboy 05/11/09
  150.   #148 Man, that part`s so funny too, Darth 23:36  |  Johnboy 05/11/09
  151.   You lose #148 Darth 18:39  |  Ron 06/11/09
  152.   Umm, Darth.... 09:00  |  American 07/11/09
  153.   Proof of Illegality #148 Darth 20:17  |  Ron 07/11/09
  154.   Ron # 152: confusing ?illegality? with?no legal validity 03:07  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 08/11/09
  155.   #1143 Johnboy - You can jump up & down 16:48  |  *BEN JABO 08/11/09
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