White House, Netanyahu Clash over ’Israeli’ Settlement Plans

Local Editor

The White House delivered a public rebuke to "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as he called Zionist settlement building in occupied East al-Quds "un-American."

It was another turn for the worse in the tense relationship between US President Barack Obama's administration and Netanyahu, amid deepening fallout from a meeting between both leaders recently last week.

Following those talks at the White House, Washington strongly condemned reported "Israeli" plans to give the go-ahead for thousands more settler units in occupied East al-Quds, as Netanyahu then responded in an interview broadcast on US television on Sunday.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it seemed "odd for [Netanyahu] to try to defend the actions of his government by saying that our response did not reflect American values."

"It's American values that lend this country's unwavering support to "Israel"," Earnest said. "It's American values that have led us to fight for and secure funding to strengthen "Israel's" security in tangible ways."

"It's American values that have led us to fund and build an Iron Dome system...," he added.

Furthermore, he said: "It's American values that have led the United States to fully support "Israel's" right to defend itself. And it's American values that have led us to defend "Israel" in a variety of international forums."

On the other hand, Netanyahu said in an interview in CBS Show "Face the Nation" that he found US criticism of settlement policy "baffling".

"It's against the American values. And it doesn't bode well for [so-called] "peace"," he said.

The recent approval of 2,610 new housing units in occupied East al-Quds angered Washington, with Earnest saying then that it would "distance "Israel" from even its closest allies."

"Israel's" settlement building in the occupied West Bank and occupied East al-Quds is illegal under international law.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team