It seems that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers that the American officials who visited him did not hear what he said, or maybe they heard it but did not understand, or maybe they understood it but did not believe. This is why he announced from their capital, and before the entire world, that Jerusalem is not a “settlement,” but the capital of Israel. This came after he stressed, on the eve of his departure to Washington, that the settlements in Jerusalem are the same as in Tel Aviv. He had prepared for his meeting with the American president by announcing that any other matter is subject to a settlement that would facilitate the US policy in the region as demanded by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and General David Petraeus before her. Therefore, no discussions are to be held with the Americans over the Jewish settlements in Jerusalem, which are further expanding to devour more lands in the West Bank. Netanyahu knows that the American overriding concern is to resume the negotiations with the Palestinians, ones which the administration of President Obama could sell to the Arabs as a proof of its concern about the peace process. He also realizes how insistent the United States is in this regard, following a wave of announcements Obama made for the Middle East people and his understanding of their culture and civilization, as well as the bunch of promises he made regarding the Palestinian cause, including the two-state solution. [Netanyahu] is also aware that the US insistence has increased currently, thanks to the confrontation with Iran, the mayhem in Afghanistan, and the arrangement of the situation in Iraq. However. Netanyahu also believes that he is unconcerned with these American political necessities, and that the Americans should tailor these necessities to fit his policy, as long as the current American administration considers “that its commitment to Israel's security is rock solid, flawless, reliable, and durable,” according to Clinton. He is thus reassured about this commitment, which is further entrenched with the increasing demands set by the subsequent Israeli Governments. This commitment was not influenced by the American ongoing refusal of the subsequent US Administrations to annex East Jerusalem to Israel. On the contrary, [Netanyahu] considers that the current subject of controversy between both sides, i.e. the cessation of the settlement building in East Jerusalem so as to establish trust and resume negotiations with the Palestinians, is a continuation of the American official position, ever since the decision was taken to annex Jerusalem after the 1967 war. Therefore, this is not influenced by the current discussion of the American political efforts to re-launch the negotiations. According to Netanyahu, the issue of the settlements in Jerusalem goes beyond politics and its requirements. It is one of the principal components of the “Jewish State,” as he sees it. These components are determined by the most fanatic and extremist sectors in Israel. It appears that his will to succumb to these sectors, their desires and ideology surpasses his will to be influenced by the requirements of the American policy in the region. This is what he did during the visit of the American Vice President to Jerusalem, when the Interior Ministry headed by Eli Yishai of the extremist Shas Party announced a project to build 1600 new housing units in East Jerusalem. Moreover, the Israeli media revealed, during Netanyahu's visit to Washington, a new plan to establish 200 housing units in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. This is what he did on the eve of his departure to Washington, when he approved a plan to relocate a hospital in Asqalan, upon the request of Yaakov Litzman, the head of the extremist religious party “united Torah Judaism,” and deputy health minister, who claimed that the Emergency Room is built on ancient Jewish graves. Israeli commentators unanimously agreed that the decision is a political and financial scandal, created by the prime minister in a bid to please the religious Jewish extremists. Before that, Netanyahu still holds onto the head of the Israeli diplomacy Avigdor Lieberman, despite his flagrant extremism, which stirred up many discords with the representatives of many countries in the world. Therefore, regardless of the warmth of the meeting held yesterday between Obama and Netanyahu and the rumor disseminated by the latter's bureau on the mutual understanding, appreciation and consistent interests…etc, the American Administration will be unable to lure Netanyahu into acknowledging the importance of its Middle East policy requirements and taking these requirements into consideration.
