US Responds to Netanyahu’s Comments on West Bank Settlements
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Uriel Sinai/Getty images(WASHINGTON) — State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki on Monday responded to criticism by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when he said Sunday that U.S. condemnation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank goes “against American values.”
Speaking in the on-camera daily briefing, Psaki said “it was a bit odd to use American values when we’ve had a consistent view on this particular issue.”
The Obama administration has long held that settlement construction in the West Bank is counterproductive to peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians, and it’s been one of the thorniest issues between President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Netanyahu for their entire tenure together.
Netanyahu’s remarks were from his appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation, where he said he would not accept restrictions on where Jews could live.
“It’s against the American values. And it doesn’t bode well for peace,” he said. “The idea that we’d have this ethnic purification as a condition for peace, I think it’s anti-peace.”
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