Clinton said US and Israeli officials are in intense talks about how to repair the damage caused by last week's Israeli announcement of new Jewish housing in East Jerusalem while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the country. She said the goal was to relaunch stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
“We are engaged in very active consultations with the Israelis over steps that we think would demonstrate the requisite commitment to the process,” she told reporters at a joint State Department news conference with visiting Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin.
“It's been a very important effort on their part as well as ours,” Clinton said. “We know how hard this is, this is a very difficult, complex matter. But the Obama administration is committed to a two-state solution, we are committed to a resumption of the negotiations between the parties.”
The announcement of the approval of 1,600 new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want to be the capital of a future state, while Biden was in Israel deeply embarrassed the administration and Clinton has called it an insult. The uproar has led many to believe that US-Israeli ties may be at their lowest point in history.
Clinton restated US “dismay and disappointment” with the announcement but disputed the perception of the relationship in crisis.
Clinton said she remained confident that the US special Mideast peace envoy, George Mitchell, who abruptly postponed a visit to the region this week, would return soon and begin shuttling between the Israelis and Palestinians for indirect negotiations.
“We'll see what the next days hold and we're looking forward to Sen. Mitchell returning to the region and beginning the proximity talks,” she said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians in East Jerusalem set tires and garbage bins ablaze and clashed with Israeli riot police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.
Angered by plans for more Jewish housing in the holy city and rumors surrounding the rededication of an Old City synagogue, Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces throughout the day.
In one incident, young men hoisted a giant Palestinian flag and shouted: “We shall die and Palestine shall live.”
Palestinian medics said 10 people were seriously wounded, five from rubber bullets.
