Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today assured a crowd at the AIPAC policy conference that America’s “commitment to Israel’s security and Israel’s future is rock-solid, unwavering, enduring and forever.”
She also criticized Israel for announcing new settlements in East Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden’s recent visit, saying such “unilateral” action “exposes daylight between Israel and the United States that others seek to exploit.”
The Obama Administration had come under some fire for its criticism of Israel’s settlement announcement, which Clinton herself called “insulting” and “very unfortunate.”
Biden too had released a statement following the incident, condemning it and saying the announcement “undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I’ve had here in Israel.”
AIPAC slammed these statements, labeling them “a matter of serious concern,” and calling for the U.S. to “take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish State” and “move away from public demands and unilateral deadlines directed at Israel.”
At the conference in Washington D.C., Clinton began her remarks by emphasizing the Obama Administration’s commitment to Israel, and said that “from it’s first day, the Obama Administration has worked to promote Israel’s security and long term success.”
She added that “President Obama and his family have lived the diaspora experience,” and that is why he understands the need to ensure Israel’s security.
A part of what “threatens Israel’s long-term future as a secure and democratic Jewish state,” she said, is the conflict with the Palestinians. “There is, I think, a belief among many that the status quo can be sustained.”
The realities of population growth, Clinton said, are “hastening the hour at which Israeli’s may have to choose between preserving their democracy and staying true to the dream of a Jewish homeland.”
She added that reaching a two-state solution is the only way to counter this threat, but it will not end all the threats against Israel, and “a comprehensive peace” must be achieved.
Clinton then turned to the settlement issue: “The United States knows we cannot force a solution,” but “we believe that through good-faith negotiations the parties can mutually agree to an outcome which ends the conflict.”
That is why both Israelis and Palestinians must refrain from unilateral statements and actions that undermine the process and prejudice the outcome of talks.
She referenced a Hamas-controlled municipality that renamed a square after a suicide bomber, and said this “must be condemned for needlessly inflaming tensions and imperiling prospects for a comprehensive peace.”
Conversely, she noted that this is why the U.S. government condemned the plans for new construction in East Jerusalem: “This was not about wounded pride, nor is it a judgment on the final status of Jerusalem.”
“This is about getting to the table,” Clinton said, “creating and protecting an atmosphere of trust.”
“Our credibility in this process.” she said, “depends in part on our willingness to praise both sides when they’re courageous, and when we don’t agree to say so, and to say so unequivocally. We objected to this announcement because we are committed to Israel and its security.”
