March is almost gone and the U.S.-Israeli alliance is making headlines in a teetering relationship that I thought I would
never be alive to see. After Israel's "military offensive" in Ghaza in December 2008 in which 13,000 Palestinians were killed (along with 13 Israeli soldiers), Israel got a slap on the wrist from the United States, who still remained on their side during the initial U.N. vote when it came to sanctioning Israel's actions. Two weeks ago when Vice President Biden of the U.S. visited Israel to construct peace talks, Israel announced the continuation of 1,600 new Jewish settlements to be built in East Jerusalem. An "anger march" erupted in Syria while Biden had to keep Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waiting over an hour before dinner while he figured out how to address the sudden announcement. "I
condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem. The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I've had here in Israel. We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them." I bet that dinner was intense. Perhaps my generation will live long enough to see a time when Israel can't do anything it wants. We'll see. insha Allah.
