Question of the Day: Will the US Sustain Its Condemnation of Israel for Settlement Expansion?

When you hear the words “condemn” and “Israel” in the same sentence usually they are preceded by words like “World” as in “World condemns Israel offensive in Gaza“, or the “UN (United Nations)” as in “UN [Human] Rights Council Condemns Israel“, or “Amnesty” as in “Amnesty [International] report on Gaza condemn Israel and Hamas war crimes“. But rarely do you see the words “United States” or the names of any of its senior officials in the same context of condemning Israel, except to stand in Israel’s defense as in “US vetoes UN resolution condemning Israel on Gaza“.

This is why the news out of the Middle East was especially interesting. Not only did Vice President Biden condemn the announcement by Israel that it will build 1600 additional houses in the contentious area of East Jerusalem, but it was also followed up with a rejection by Secretary of State Clinton, who characterized the timing of the announcement as “insulting”.

This is not the first time the US has pleaded with Israel to halt activities that are antithetical to the peace process. For example in 2005 George W. Bush warned Israel against building 3500 extra homes in a West Bank settlement. And just like in 2005, the criticisms by Secretary Clinton were followed up by reaffirmation of the United States’ strong alliance with Israel. However this is one of those rare moments when the US uses the word “condemn” when speaking of Israel, a word reserved only for her most outspoken critics. Yet given the pattern of objecting without following through with meaningful enforcement, will the US sustain its condemnation of Israel’s expansion of the settlement in East Jerusalem?

VP Joe Biden’s Interview on Al-Jazeera: