Hillarysworld

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Netanyahu, Clinton talk after settlement crisis

(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed "confidence-building steps" with Palestinians in a telephone call on Thursday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after a dispute over settlements.

A statement from Netanyahu's office also said Clinton had told him that U.S. peace envoy Senator George Mitchell would arrive in Israel on Sunday for new talks on peace moves.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, who was in Moscow with Clinton, confirmed the Mitchell visit and said Clinton and Netanyahu had discussed "specific steps" to try to improve the outlook for Israeli-Palestinian peace. He declined to spell out what these were.

Netanyahu's spokesman Nir Chefetz said only that Netanyahu had proposed to Clinton some "mutual confidence-building steps" that both Israel and the Palestinians could take in the West Bank.

Clinton told Netanyahu that Mitchell would arrive before Netanyahu's departure for Washington on Sunday to address a pro-Israel lobby the following day.

Israeli media have said that trip may also include talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Relations between Israel and the United States have been unusually tense this week after Israel announced a plan to build 1,600 housing units near occupied East Jerusalem in the middle of a visit by Vice President Joe Biden.

Continues @ Reuters.com
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Confidence-building steps? How about not building those 1600 new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem? 

While we are at it.. I read this article about a family with two boys, husband an Israeli and wife from West Bank and living on the edge of being expelled bec she cannot be a citizen!  Why is citizenship in Israel restricted to Jews only?  Why are Palestinians married to Israeli citizens not eligible for Israeli citizenship even after they have children?  How can they do any "confidence building" when their actions show there is no confidence?

Trust is a two-way gardenpike.


-- Edited by Sanders on Friday 19th of March 2010 12:07:13 AM