I do wonder what is the point of supporting Netanyahu as he supports settlers efforts to expand settlements into Palestinian territory. It is inevitable that as this continues, violence will once again flair up. If Netanyahu has it in his head to creat a Middle East empire, why should we support him?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8242387.stm###
One of US President Barack Obama's most important foreign policy initiatives is in jeopardy.
The Netanyahu government in Israel has approved the building of 455 new homes for settlers in the West Bank - in defiance of Mr Obama's call for a complete settlement freeze.
One former US diplomat with extensive experience of the Middle East calls it "a huge slap in the face" for the Obama administration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to have it both ways.
He wants to appease the settler lobby by allowing new construction, and to appease the Americans by finalising an agreement on a temporary freeze.
But he is in danger of satisfying no-one.
The White House has been quick to condemn the new announcement.
A Palestinian spokesman, Saeb Erakat, said the Israeli decision "nullifies any effect that a settlement freeze, when and if announced, will have".
Even the settlers and their supporters are unimpressed.
One Israeli analyst - quoted by the French news agency AFP - called the announcement "a sedative given to the settler lobby before proceeding with the painful operation of freezing settlements".
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