That stemmed from an unnamed official in Washington via a Jerusalem Post story by a Michael Wilner on Thursday which reads, supposedly, that Israel was asked:
to cease settlement announcements that are “unilateral” and “undermining” of President Donald Trump’s effort to forge Middle East peace
The continuation of the remarks were
"While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal."
So, any intelligent reader would presume:
a. Jewish communities are okay, in principle.
b. In the meantime, Israel can continue its decades-old policies.
c. For the foreseeable future, no announcements.
d. And the US administration is not sure and hasn't made up its mind as construction "may not be helpful". Which means it could be helpful.
Read these stories:
More Fake News: Trump ‘Opposes’ Israeli Settlements
Spicer: 'Trump administration has not taken an official position' on Israeli settlements
Donald Trump reversed Barack Obama’s policy toward Israel’s settlements
_________
Official Press Spokesperson statement
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2017
Statement by the Press Secretary
“The American desire for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians has remained unchanged for 50 years. While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal. As the President has expressed many times, he hopes to achieve peace throughout the Middle East region. The Trump administration has not taken an official position on settlement activity and looks forward to continuing discussions, including with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visits with President Trump later this month.”
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2 comments:
What the statement says is that Trump is asking Bibi to go back to the deal that Sharon had with Bush. Build all you want but take no land. Obama/Hillary broke the deal and denied it's existence when they took office
I hope you're right. However, my impression is that there seems to be a trend since Trump's inauguration of him carefully, step by step, backing away from his support and promises to Israel, such as moving the embassy. To me this seems to be one more step in that direction. I truly hope time will prove me wrong.
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