Clinton: no more settlements, no exceptions

Once again, Secretary Clinton revealed her bold side yesterday during an appearance (above) in Washington with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. When asked by a reporter about Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory, she replied in “unusually blunt terms“:

With respect to settlements, the [U.S.] president was very clear when [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu was here. He wants to see a stop to settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not natural-growth exceptions. We think it is in the best interests of the effort that we are engaged in that settlement-expansion cease. That is our position. That is what we have communicated very clearly, not only to the Israelis but to the Palestinians and others. And we intend to press that point.

“Natural growth” refers to construction in existing settlements to make room for expanding families.

Today, Israel delivered an “effective rebuff” to Clinton’s remarks. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the future of the settlements “will be determined in final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and in the interim, normal life must be allowed to continue in those communities.”

“Normal life” refers to what Clinton called “natural growth.”

This difference on the settlements is part of an emerging rift between the U.S. and Israeli governments on the Middle East peace process. Meanwhile, President Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet today.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images