I must say that I've been encouraged by the Obama administration's public stance on Israeli settlements. Obama has made it a point to emphasize that settlement growth must stop. And Clinton used even stronger language:
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, “He wants to see a stop to settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not ‘natural growth’ exceptions.” Talking to reporters after a meeting with the Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, she said: “That is our position. That is what we have communicated very clearly.”
The administration needs to follow through of course, but the forcefulness of the rhetoric is encouraging -- and suggests that the US is finally serious about playing a more constructive role in the peace process.
Ending settlement growth is a no-brainer on both policy and moral grounds. And I think most Israeli leaders recognize this (certainly most Americans do). However, as in many countries, there are domestic political constraints on the leaders' ability to do the right thing. (It's similar in this respect to our Cuba policy).
But that's where America could play a productive role. It could provide Israeli leaders with the political cover they need to do the right thing. And it's not like ending settlement growth is a controversial measure that would threaten Israel's national security. It's a land grab. And stopping it would be a meaningful commitment that could hopefully snowball into even better developments.
One last note -- the whole episode illustrates another benefit of choosing Clinton for Secretary of State. Coming from her, the strong words take on additional strength -- more so than if they had come from, say, Kerry (who also would have been an excellent SoS).
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