Hillary Clinton tells Obama, "we’ve made scant progress on Mideast peace," although George Mitchell claims it’s too early to call his work a failure. Among the issues holding up the resumption of negotiations, according to Clinton, is that Israel has "responded to our call to stop all settlement activity by expressing a willingness to curtail settlement activity, but they need to translate that willingness into real, meaningful action."
Meanwhile, as the White House rearranges the deck chairs on the peace process, Israel is very busy taking "real, meaningful action" in the West Bank. Haaretz reports –
The defense establishment confirmed that in recent weeks West Bank settlers have been making a noticeable effort to expedite construction, in an attempt to maximize the "facts on the ground" before the United States and Israel reach an agreement on a settlement freeze.
A senior security source said this week that the defense establishment’s view on the situation was reflected in reports published in Haaretz last Friday, which stated that extensive construction is currently being carried out in at least 11 settlements. . .
"The approach at this time is that whoever can, goes ahead and builds," the source continued. "It begins with the official leadership of the Yesha Council [of settlements] and ends with the hilltop youth."
