Clinton dismisses Israel's claims for settlements

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dismissed on Friday arguments that Israel and the Bush administration had an understanding under which Israel could keep expanding Jewish settlements on the West Bank.

Dov Weisglass, chief of staff to former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said in an op-ed piece published this week in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot that the Bush administration and Israel had an understanding under which Israel could expand settlements within their existing boundaries.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Clinton sought to undercut his argument, saying there was no acknowledgment of any such agreement in the official negotiating record between Israel and the Bush administration.

"There is no memorialization of any informal and oral agreements. If they did occur, which of course people say they did, they did not become part of the official position of the United States government," Clinton said at a news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

"And there are contrary documents that suggest that they were not to be viewed as in any way contradicting the obligations that Israel undertook pursuant to the road map." she added. "And those obligations are very clear.

There is no memorialization of any informal and oral agreements. If they did occur, which of course people say they did, they did not become part of the official position of the United States government

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

U.S. demands

Clinton's hard line suggests President Barack Obama has no intention of relenting on his call for a settlement freeze by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose fragile, two-month old government could fall if he heeded it.

The United States wants Israel to keep its commitment under the 2003 "road map" peace plan to halt all settlement activity, including so-called "natural growth," under which new homes are built within existing enclaves for growing settler families.

Over 450,000 Israeli settlers live in the Palestinian Occupied Territories including East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as their capital in a future state. While over 280,200 Israelis live in settlements dotted throughout the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 war, and their fate has become a key early dispute between the Obama and Netanyahu governments.

Obama has notably demanded that Israel stop all its activity in the settlements, including so-called "natural growth" construction that allows for building to accommodate a rising population.

The U.S. president made the demand publicly during his first White House meeting with Netanyahu two weeks ago and repeated it during a landmark speech in Cairo on Thursday.

"The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop," Obama said in his speech billed as a message to the Muslim world.

After Obama's speech, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned ministers to a special meeting and ordered aides and officials not to comment until a government statement was released.

The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop

President Obama

Jewish settlers defiant

Meanwhile in the West Bank Friday defiant Jewish settlers continued to build their latest outpost in a show of defiance to U.S. President Barack Obama's new demands on settlement freeze, naming one outpost "Obama Hilltop."

Settlers' construction activities went unabated in the West Bank a mere day after Obama demanded their stop from Cairo on Thursday. Settlers began rebuilding the illegal outposts of Maoz Esther and Oz Yonatan near the near the Palestinian run city of Ramallah.

Israel had tried but failed to dismantle some small illegal settlement outposts to appease Washington as part of its commitment under the "roadmap" peace plan.

"Our message is very clear: Obama, no you can't. You can't give away the land of the Bible that belongs to the people of the Bible," said settlement activist Nadia Matar.

A member of Israel's parliament or Knesset was present at Maoz Esther to celebrate the rededication of a synagogue in memory of a terror victim, , Israeli news channel Israel National News said Friday.

"We can see here yet another healthy expression of the Jewish people’s return to our land, and we are not planning to leave. We have no other land; the Arabs have 22 countries, and it’s too bad that Obama did not mention that in his speech," said Israeli parliament member Michael Ben-Ari of the right-wing National Union coalition quoted by Israel's National News.

"Giving them another country means an attempt to destroy the Jewish people in Israel – and we have no intention of being destroyed."

Netanyahu on Monday defied the U.S. demand, saying Israel would keep building in existing settlements on territory Israel occupied during the 1967 Middle East war.

Government spokesman Zalman Shoval, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington, said Israel reserves the right to build in existing settlements to accommodate "natural growth."

"No democratic government can be expected to stop people, hundreds of thousands of people, living legally and under the law, wherever they live, of having children or putting up additional buildings. Look, this is not a dispute; this is a fact of life," he said.

Our message is very clear Obama, no you can't. You can't give away the land of the Bible that belongs to the people of the Bible

Nadia Matar, Jewish settler in West Bank