Hillary to call Netanyahu in bid to ease tensions

FE Team | Published: March 18, 2010 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

WASHINGTON, Mar 17 (AFP): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will talk soon with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to ease a bitter diplomatic feud with the staunch US ally, officials said.
Officials said the call could come as early as Wednesday, as the Obama administration awaits Netanyahu's response to its complaints over Israeli settlement policy, which has provoked the sharpest US-Israel row in years.
But in a possible sign it wants to stop the row widening, the administration also termed the dispute a disagreement between friends that would not shatter their "unbreakable bond".
Uncertainty over relations unfolded amid rising tensions, as hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in east Jerusalem.
The row erupted when Washington, frustrated at a lack of success for its peace brokering, reacted angrily last week to an Israeli announcement that 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers would be built in east Jerusalem, the mainly Arab half of the Holy City which was annexed after a war in 1967.
The move came at the moment the United States had convinced the Palestinians to take part in indirect "proximity" talks with the Israelis, and during a visit to Jerusalem by Vice President Joe Biden.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters he expected a conversation 'very soon' between Clinton and Netanyahu.
A US official later said on the condition of anonymity the telephone call could happen Wednesday.
Earlier, Clinton said Washington was engaged in "very active consultation" with the Israelis over steps that would demonstrate the requisite commitment to reviving peace talks.
Asked whether ties had plunged to a 35-year-low, she answered "I don't buy that."
"We have an absolute commitment to Israel's security. We have a close, unshakable bond between the United States and Israel and between the American and Israeli people."
Her remarks where echoed at the White House, where spokesman Robert Gibbs said some disagreements were normal between partners.