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US official: Settlements preventing normalization
Official tells Jewish leaders in US Arab countries refusing to normalize relations with Israel due to 450 new housing units approved in West Bank
Yitzhak Benhorin
WASHINGTON – A US official held a meeting with Jewish leaders Wednesday and told them that Israel's failure to achieve normalization with Arab countries was largely due to its approval of 450 more housing units in West Bank settlements.
He said the Israeli government had known that the Arab nations may recoil at the announcement, but had approved the construction anyway.
The official added that Israel had promised to take certain trust-building steps, which include the freezing of settlements, in addition to renewing negotiations with the Palestinians. He said US President Barack Obama believed Israel was committed to this.
The official said Obama was willing to invest "political capital" in furthering the peace process and hinted that he would not capitulate to political pressure.
Regarding the Goldstone report, which accuses Israel of various "war crimes" committed during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, the official said the Obama administration would exert its influence in order to prevent the report from being brought up at UN institutions and the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
He said the US has various tools, including the right of veto, to ensure that the report would be analyzed solely by the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which established the Goldstone Committee.
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